Andy Burnham is not actually obliges to step down as Mayor to contest the Makerfield by-election, but if he does his departure would leave Manchester more susceptible to fragmented national politics

As the Manchester mayor searches for a path towards becoming Prime Minister, City AM sketches out what a Burnham government would look like.

Confident mayor set out his stall as he called for ‘big changes’ in how the UK is run – and slammed Wes Streeting’s call to rejoin the EU