Andy Burnham to welcome world leaders to 'Manchester Mar-A-Lago' as PM-to-be gears up for No10

Andy Burnham will welcome world leaders to his new No10 North - set to become his "Mar-A-Lago".

The man who is expected to be Prime Minister has announced he will establish a branch of Downing Street through his devolution agenda.

It is expected the Makerfield MP will split his time between No10 in London and No10 North, similar to Donald Trump, who splits time between the White House and Mar-a-Lago, in Florida.

An ally of Mr Burnham said the plans would be "radical".

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The ally told The Sun: "No10 North is going to be big.

"International prime ministers and presidents - I think they will be invited to visit him in Manchester not in London.

"It will be like Donald Trump and Mar-a-Lago. No10 North will be Andy Burnham's Mar-a-Lago."

Another source said the former Mayor of Greater Manchester will take "personal charge" of No10 North.

"Power is where the PM is," the senior ally said.

Unlike Mar-a-Lago, which is privately owned by Mr Trump, No10 North will be owned by the Government, with plans to transform the Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) into the site.

But the Ancoats, central Manchester site, will not be fully operational until 2032.

Mr Burnham's team is looking for an interim office in the city in the meantime.

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Caroline Simpson, the chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, will lead the operation in the north.

A source told Politics Home a "lot of senior people" would be moved to the No10 North site.

Sir David Lidington, the former Cabinet Minister and deputy to Theresa May said there were still several questions to be answered around the site.

Writing for think tank Institute for Government (IfG), he said a remit for No10 North must be revealed soon.

The site also needs a trusted political deputy to be posted at the site to "take on much of the political load, broker compromises, and exercise delegated power".

The former Cabinet Minister said it was "vital" for No10 North to serve the whole country, not just the North West.

Laying out his ambition for the site in June, Mr Burnham said it would serve as the "nerve centre of a rewired Britain" and make power flow to all the UK's nations and regions.

The department would also have thee "clear tasks" - increasing public ownership of essential utilities, energy and housing, reindustrialisation, and regeneration.

High-profile international leaders who have met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago include Viktor Orban, Giorgia Meloni, Volodymyr Zelensky and Javier Milei.

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