Burnham puts No 10 North at heart of bid to ‘rewire’ Britain

PM in waiting lays out devolution blueprint to rebalance ‘broken’ system

- Pippa Crerar

Andy Burnham set out his blueprint to transform the UK yesterday with a promise to improve living standards and restore faith in politics through the ‘‘biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen’’.

The person widely expected to be the next prime minister said the current system was ‘‘broken’’ and that ‘‘more of the same’’ would not be enough to tackle the significant challenges faced by the country.

In a wide-ranging speech anchored by an ambition to ‘‘lift the country back up’’ and to revive hope among fed-up voters, Burnham said there needed to be a dramatic ‘‘change in how Britain is governed, not just who governs it’’.

With Burnham now all but certain to take over from Keir Starmer in less than three weeks’ time, his address was intended to show what direction he will take the country and reassure both Labour MPs and voters who may feel he is untested, and even unprepared, for power.

Speaking at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, the new Makerfield MP, dressed in his now-familiar dark T-shirt and jacket, said a "new direction" was at the heart of his offer, which included:

● A long-term ambition of greater public control of essential services such as water, housing, energy and transport, to help curb the cost of living.

● A No 10 North hub to oversee the distribution of power and resources from Whitehall across the country, which the Guardian revealed would be run by his former chief executive in Manchester.

● The biggest council housing building programme since the postwar period and a high street "renaissance" through business rates reform.