Andy Burnham vows to set up No 10 North as ‘nerve centre of rewired Britain’

2:04 Andy Burnham promises 'biggest change in our lifetimes' in Manchester speech – video Andy Burnham vows to set up No 10 North as ‘nerve centre of rewired Britain’ UK’s likely next PM says Westminster system is ‘broken’ and he will oversee a devolution of power and resources UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham will set up No 10 North as the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain” to oversee a devolution of power and resources across the UK that he said would deliver the change the country desperately needed. The prime minister-in-waiting said the Westminster system was “broken” and that a “more of the same” approach would neither improve living standards or restore people’s faith in how politics worked for them. In his first speech since Keir Starmer announced he was standing down , Burnham repeatedly returned to the theme of a decade of “change” but also set out concrete policies to transform how the country works, beginning with overcoming Whitehall’s resistance to change. No 10 North would have three “clear tasks” for devolution: to increase public ownership of essential utilities such as water, energy and housing; reindustrialise swathes of the country; and regenerate towns, prioritising places that had been left behind. This would include overseeing the biggest council housebuilding programme since the postwar period, he said, as well as ordering Whitehall to back British firms bidding for public contracts – even if this cost taxpayers more. However, Burnham acknowledged that “people can’t wait for ever for change”, as he hinted at an early cost of living support package once he made it to Downing Street. “I heard on doorsteps in Makerfield how people need a bit extra now to help with rising costs,” he said. “I will do my very best to deliver it, and whilst not taking risks with the public finances, will seek to give Britain some breathing space as soon as I can. People need to be able to look forward to a night out or a holiday with the kids. People need hope.” The new Makerfield MP, dressed in a dark T-shirt and jacket rather than the usual politician’s uniform of a suit and tie, is expected to become prime minister on 20 July, unless he is challenged for the Labour leadership. His promise of a “new direction” is at the heart of his offer to the country. He told his audience at the People’s History Museum in Manchester: “What hope can we have that it will be different this time?’ That is the question I would be asking if I was a voter right now. “Westminster has not been working for people and it has not been working for a very long time. In fact, it is broken. And as a result, the country isn’t where it should be. It is stuck in a rut, and clearly we can’t go on like this.” Burnham, who served in the last Labour government and sat on the opposition benches until he became mayor of Greater Manchester , said his generation of politicians had to take responsibility for not being good enough. Keir Starmer’s attempts to placate big t