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9 hours ago
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Andy Burnham to propose devolution plan in first major policy speech since launching bid for No 10
Good morning. When Keir Starmer became PM, he had published his missions and his first steps, Labour was awash with policy, but some people still felt it was hard to know what his driving motivation was, what was the single big goal he wanted to achieve in politics. Andy Burnham is set to become PM three weeks today and in his case it is easy to answer this question because he published a book about it in early 2024 with Steve Rotheram, the Liverpool city region mayor, called Head North. They argue that the north of England has lost out because power in the UK is hoarded in the south and they propose a huge rebalancing, achieved by the devolution of decision making and spending away from London, building on some of the work they had been able to achieve as metro mayors.
Anyone curious as to what Burnham will do in Downing Street has to start here. The book even includes a 10 point plan, some elements of which will almost certainly be dropped but some of which will be at the core of the Burnham project.
A “Basic Law” refers to a version of a law passed by Germany after West Germany and East Germany were reunified, saying all states in the country should have “equivalent living standards”.
Burnham and Rotheram ended their book with an “Epilogue to our Grandchildren”. In it they said they hoped their ideas would “help build a movement of people over the next 25 years which will eventually change Westminster from the outside”. They said they would like to think that by the middle of this century, “the end of our lives and the start of yours”, that movement would be “so big that real change would then be imminent”.
At the time they were writing Labour was expected to win the 2024 general election, but most observers expected Keir Starmer to be reasonably secure for another 10 years. Burnham clearly did not think he would be the person implementing this agenda. Now, just over two years later, he does not have to leave it up to his grandchildren; he will be able to do it himself.
That is the background to today’s speech by Burnham in Manchester. As Pippa Crerar reports, he will pledge to deliver “good growth in every postcode” by overseeing a significant transfer of power out of Whitehall to local communities.
It is Burnham’s first big speech as the presumptive next PM. Apparently he won’t be taking questions from reporters because he wants the coverage to focus on the speech. It may turn out to be the most important political event of the week, and of course I will be covering it in detail.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer host a roundtable at Downing Street with the hospitality industry.
10am: Kemi Badenoch gives a speech in London,
11.30am: Andy Burnham gives his devolution speech in Manchester.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
Afternoon: Starmer is meeting Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, in Downing Street.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
Key events
Starmer
For an alternative view on whether Andy Burnham should take questions from the media after his speech this morning, this is from Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former communications chief who now co-hosts the Rest is Politics podcast.
If true that @andyburnham not taking media questions after speech today then good move. Speeches matter and when important should speak for themselves. A problem with Keir S communications was that he would make a speech, then take Qs and the broadcast journalists in particular would make it more about them and their “take” than him. If and when he becomes PM Burnham will be answerable to Parliament, not the showbiz style media coverage of politics. The blah factory will go into overdrive today with journalists interviewing each other about how they ought to be allowed to ask Qs. The speech itself is more important than anything they say before during or after. Setting the agenda vital from the off.
Burnham accused of 'power without accountability' over proposals not to take reporters' questions after today's speech
Journalists have been told that Andy Burnham will not be taking questions after his speech today. Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, has described that in a post on social media as “power without accountability”. He says:
Burnham’s coup is well underway.
Big speech today with no questions from journalists. No debate in Parliament. No scrutiny from MPs until September.
Power without accountability. Funny how Burnham demanded a General Election in 2022, but not now.
We need a General Election.
Reform UK tend to be pretty good at taking a large number of questions from journalists when they hold press conferences – although Nigel Farage’s enthusiasm for events of this kind seems to have mysteriously disappeared following the revelation about his undisclosed £5m donation. That is one topic on which questions are not welcome.
Andy Burnham to propose devolution plan in first major policy speech since launching bid for No 10
Good morning. When Keir Starmer became PM, he had published his missions and his first steps, Labour was awash with policy, but some people still felt it was hard to know what his driving motivation was, what was the single big goal he wanted to achieve in politics. Andy Burnham is set to become PM three weeks today and in his case it is easy to answer this question because he published a book about it in early 2024 with Steve Rotheram, the Liverpool city region mayor, called Head North. They argue that the north of England has lost out because power in the UK is hoarded in the south and they propose a huge rebalancing, achieved by the devolution of decision making and spending away from London, building on some of the work they had been able to achieve as metro mayors.
Anyone curious as to what Burnham will do in Downing Street has to start here. The book even includes a 10 point plan, some elements of which will almost certainly be dropped but some of which will be at the core of the Burnham project.
A “Basic Law” refers to a version of a law passed by Germany after West Germany and East Germany were reunified, saying all states in the country should have “equivalent living standards”.
Burnham and Rotheram ended their book with an “Epilogue to our Grandchildren”. In it they said they hoped their ideas would “help build a movement of people over the next 25 years which will eventually change Westminster from the outside”. They said they would like to think that by the middle of this century, “the end of our lives and the start of yours”, that movement would be “so big that real change would then be imminent”.
At the time they were writing Labour was expected to win the 2024 general election, but most observers expected Keir Starmer to be reasonably secure for another 10 years. Burnham clearly did not think he would be the person implementing this agenda. Now, just over two years later, he does not have to leave it up to his grandchildren; he will be able to do it himself.
That is the background to today’s speech by Burnham in Manchester. As Pippa Crerar reports, he will pledge to deliver “good growth in every postcode” by overseeing a significant transfer of power out of Whitehall to local communities.
It is Burnham’s first big speech as the presumptive next PM. Apparently he won’t be taking questions from reporters because he wants the coverage to focus on the speech. It may turn out to be the most important political event of the week, and of course I will be covering it in detail.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer host a roundtable at Downing Street with the hospitality industry.
10am: Kemi Badenoch gives a speech in London,
11.30am: Andy Burnham gives his devolution speech in Manchester.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
Afternoon: Starmer is meeting Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, in Downing Street.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
