See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 11:14 BST, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 11:14 BST, 1 July 2026
Angela Rayner is helping de-facto Labour leader Andy Burnham with his plan to weaken Westminster's grip on UK political power and put more in the hands of regional mayors.The former deputy prime minister, who played a leading role in Labour's controversial work to reshape local government, is said to be working with the PM-in-waiting on handing mayors tax-raising powers.Mr Burnham on Monday set out his ambitions for 'good growth in every postcode' with what allies say is the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in modern times.His fellow Greater Manchester MP drove the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill through the Commons when in government, before it became law in April.It hands regional mayors powers to develop local economic plans and control planning decisions to 'set the direction of growth'.Mayors will also be able to impose 'development orders' to speed up developments, while new 'mayoral development corporations' are intended to streamline implementation and attract investment. Less than a year after she was forced to quit government after a row over £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty on a seaside holiday home, reports suggest Ms Rayner could return to the Cabinet, perhaps in her former role as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government.In that role she pushed for mayors to be given powers to raise a local 'tourist tax', an idea criticised by businesses. The former deputy prime minister, who played a leading role in Labour's controversial work to reshape local government, is said to be working with the PM-in-waiting Ms Rayner drove the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill through the Commons when in government, before it became law in AprilMs Rayner is due to give a speech tonight about how to rebalance local economies.After Labour's disastrous performance in May's local elections, which proved the catalyst for getting rid of Sir Keir, Ms Rayner demanded the completion of a 'devolution revolution'.'Giving mayors powers to transform planning and licensing can boost local business and good growth, in the interests of local people. They must go alongside economic powers and public services,' she said.'Boosting community ownership and stopping the sell-off of local assets from pubs to playgrounds will put power back in local hands, helping restore the pride they feel in the places they live.'Labour MPs have voiced fears that Mr Burnham's 'Manchesterism' agenda could end up alienating voters in rural seats and less wealthy southern constituencies.A private meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday with Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds was used to voice fears that Mr Burnham risks shedding support in non-urban areas across the country with his policies and rhetoric.One Labour MP warned the incoming Prime Minister that 'there is stuff north of Manchester, including an entire country [Scotland]', while another called on the Makerfield MP not to divide the country into a simple north-south split.They argued that rural communities in the North have more in common with rural communities in the South than they do with cities such as Manchester, so a blanket approach to north versus south 'doesn't work and could hurt rural communities'.Speaking on the BBC today, Kent MP Naushabah Khan publicly called on Mr Burnham to show an understanding of poverty in the south east, which can be just as great as that in 'former mining towns in the North'.
