New 'No 10 North' plan will rebalance power in Britain, Burnham promises

New 'No 10 North' plan will rebalance power in Britain, Burnham promisesImage source, PA MediaByKate WhannelPolitical reporterPublished29 June 2026, 14:17 BSTUpdated 2 minutes agoA new Downing Street team based in Manchester and labelled 'No 10 North' will "oversee the biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen", Andy Burnham has said in his first speech since launching a bid to be the next prime minister.In a speech which outlined his broader vision, he pledged to redistribute power across the UK in an effort to "drive good growth in every postcode".He also promised the biggest council house building programme since the post-war period; a "complete rethink" of education and cuts to welfare.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Burnham backed devolution because he "doesn't know what to do so he wants to pass the problem to someone else".Burnham announced his intention to stand as prime minister to replace Sir Keir Starmer last Monday, shortly after being elected as the MP for Makerfield. So far, he is the only Labour MP to announce, and if he remains the sole candidate he could become the next prime minister as early as 20 July. Speaking at the People's History Museum, Burnham addressed an audience which included Steve Rotheram, Tracy Brabin and Oliver Coppard - his former mayoral colleagues from Liverpool, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.He provided an overview of the direction his government would take but did not provide a detailed plan and, unusually for a political speech, did not take questions at the end.His key message was a commitment to devolving power to local communities away from senior civil servants in Whitehall, which Burnham said had "blocked" progress in Manchester."It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down - it can only be nurtured from the bottom up."He did not spell out what would be given to differen...