Is Makerfield MP Andy Burnham really a radical? His decentralising zeal and desire to invest in less prosperous regions than the southeast has echoes of Sir Keir Starmer and even – whisper it – former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson’s levelling-up agenda.
In the first speech on national issues since he became the MP for Makerfield, Burnham set out plans to devolve power from Westminster, in what he described as a “circuit breaker” to “lift Britain back up.” Speaking in Manchester on Monday morning, he described his new politics as “place first, not party first, problem solving, not point scoring”.
There’s no denying the UK lags its neighbours in terms of regional tax-raising powers. The share of UK tax revenue raised at a regional level was less than five per cent in 2023 – the latest figures available – compared with 24 per cent for Spain, 14 per cent for France and around a third for Germany, according to data compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.Burnham advocates for industrial rebuilding in areas outside London and a preference for UK companies when the Government buys goods and services. He’s starting a significant devolution effort, potentially transferring capital budgets to mayoralties to foster a regional revival mirroring Manchester’s achievements.
