Andy Burnham is planning a major constitutional shift by moving key parts of the Prime Minister’s Office, widely known as the No 10 operation, to Manchester. The newly elected Makerfield MP aims to include this proposal in his upcoming policy speech next week, focusing heavily on decentralizing political power away from London to tackle regional inequality across the United Kingdom.
According to reports first highlighted by the Financial Times, this strategic move is part of a broader, radical devolution roadmap that Burnham intends to deliver if he secures the Labour Party leadership and enters Downing Street as Prime Minister next month. The leadership race gained momentum following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent resignation announcement and Wes Streeting’s decision not to contest the position, establishing Burnham as the overwhelming favorite for the top job.
Burnham’s proposed strategy addresses long-standing criticisms regarding the spatial constraints of the 300-year-old Downing Street townhouse, which successive leaders have found unsuitable for modern governance. While previous plans to restructure the Cabinet Office and No 10 were shelved earlier this year following Labour’s difficult local election results, the government has successfully relocated other key operations, such as the establishment of a multi-department economic campus in Darlington.
As part of his governance framework, Burnham has pledged to implement a “Makerfield test” to evaluate how national policies directly impact working-class constituencies. This approach aligns with his previous advocacy for widespread regional devolution, co-authored with Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram, which called for a basic law to legally enforce the equalization of living standards across all regions of the UK.