A week after he took he held the bible to take his oath of allegiance to the Crown at his swearing in as a Member of Parliament, Burnham on Monday set out how he plans to transform the country when he gets the keys to Downing Street in three weeks. Photo courtesy of House of Commons/EPA
June 29 (UPI) -- Labour Member of Parliament, Andy Burnham, tipped to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister, pledged Monday to decentralize government and build an efficient state with a "laser-like focus on growth and regeneration," all while adhering to strict existing rules on borrowing and other election promises made by his party.
Delivering his first policy speech ahead of becoming leader of the ruling Labour Party, and therefore prime minister, expected on July 20 provided that no rival emerges in the meantime, Burnham said he would establish a "No. 10 North," a parallel power center outside London for the first time ever.
Calling it "the nerve centre of a rewired Britain," he said the aim of the new No. 10 operation in his home area of Manchester would be to make "power flow" around the country, calling the move "the biggest change in our lifetimes to the way the country is run."
He said the change would afford "new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down.
