Burnham Pushes to "Rewire Britain" With Power Shift North
Andy Burnham pressed on with his drive to shift power out of London on Monday, opening a government hub in Manchester and floating the idea of a fresh King’s Speech to reset his priorities. The Prime Minister has cast his devolution agenda — handing regions a share of tax and more control — as a “rewiring” of the British state. Commentators have dubbed the approach his “Manchesterism”.
Mr Burnham’s bet is that pushing power and money to the regions can revive parts of the country long overlooked from Westminster, and set his government apart from those before it. Sceptics question whether a new hub and warm words amount to real change, and whether the money will follow the rhetoric when the Budget lands in October. A fresh King’s Speech would let him stamp his own programme on Parliament, but also invite scrutiny of how much he can deliver. His constitutional ambitions are broad; the practical obstacles many. Watch whether the “rewiring” produces tangible shifts or stalls.