Andy Burnham has said that he is going to give Britain the “circuit-breaker” it needs, by building a more “collaborative politics” and devolving power out of Westminster.
In a major speech this morning at Manchester’s People’s History Museum in a room full of northern Labour MPs, mayors and a few ministers, he repeated the theme of the Makerfield by-election – ‘place first, problem-solving, not point-scoring’.
“Westminster” he said “hasn’t been working for people. It’s broken. My generation of politicians must take responsibility, we haven’t been good enough.”
He told the audience that he wants to take power out of the centre and put it in the hands of the people and places that can use it best
“We will make politics work for you and the place where you live. I know it can be done because I have done it here”
He promised the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen, Whitehall needs to understand growth cannot be ordered from the top down’
As part of the new politics he said
“I will let MPs to be authentic representatives, not using the whip system to create fear and closed down debate”
In the speech he also called public intervention where necessary’ to kick-start growth, arguing that everything cannot just be left to the markets. ‘This is Manchesterism’
We cannot go through another decade like the one we just had. We need a new determination to raise living standards. We need to change politics and we need to do it now.’
Andy Burnham officially announced No 10 North” which will be based in Manchester
“But it will only be based here. The job of No 10 north will be to make power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England, and yes, into London”
No 10 North he added will “oversee the biggest council house building programme since the post-war period”
Burnham said that he won’t be announcing cabinet positions ‘until the end of this process’
Responding to Andy Burnham’s speech Mirte Boot, principal research fellow and interim head at IPPR North, said:
“Andy Burnham is right to call for bold, transformative change to our country’s economy. The writing on the wall is clear; the status quo isn’t working. People feel acutely that their places are not getting back what they’ve been putting in, and political trust is at rock bottom.
“For two decades, IPPR North has seen successive governments promise change, transport spending, and regional growth in the North. But to drive real change, we must turn the system on its head, and power must be handed down to people and places.
“Mayors must be given the powers and capital to build local infrastructure like transport and housing, and we must see a push against Whitehall orthodoxy, so local leaders are given control over revenue and borrowing.
“This cannot just be words anymore. We have to see delivery. Devolution is for the whole country: when our regions prosper, so does the UK. This is not about north versus south, it is action versus inaction.”
Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said:
“Andy Burnham’s speech shows that devolution is no longer a side issue in British politics. The question now is not whether power should be devolved out of Whitehall, but what powers places need to improve living standards.
“Greater Manchester has shown that strong mayoral leadership can make a difference. But if cities are to drive national growth, the next stage of devolution must give mayors more control over finance and decisions that shape their local economies.”
