Prime Minister Andy Burnham opens No10 North office in Manchester

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has officially inaugurated No10 North, a new government base situated in the city centre of Manchester. Located within Heron House—a facility that also serves as the regional hub for GCHQ—the office is intended to function as a situation room for national growth. The Prime Minister arrived at the site to begin his scheduled weekly presence, an initiative designed to decentralise decision-making processes that have historically been concentrated within Westminster.

The establishment of the Manchester hub represents a move to challenge long-standing political traditions. During his visit, the Prime Minister critiqued the previous status quo, arguing that for four decades, resources and influence have been drawn into the capital, leaving various communities feeling overlooked. He framed the opening of the new site as a definitive conclusion to departmental resistance against the shifting of powers.

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"For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve. No 10 North will change that by putting more power into every postcode across the entire country. It will be the situation room for making Britain better - the place we use to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can turn things around. The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good."

The inauguration coincides with the reactivation of the National Economic Council. Originally formed in 2008 to coordinate a response to the global financial crisis, the council is now being repurposed to facilitate cooperation between senior ministers, regional mayors, business representative organisations, and trade unions. Government officials confirmed that the composition of the council will remain fluid, with membership adjusted to match the specific economic or industrial issues currently under review. The Prime Minister is slated to chair the first meeting of this body at the new site, bringing together local leaders to integrate regional perspectives into national policy planning.

The launch follows a series of recent policy announcements aimed at addressing the cost of living. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner stated that the Prime Minister has hit the ground running in his initial days in office. These policy measures include a reduction in VAT on energy bills, the reinstatement of a £2 cap on bus fares, and changes to business rates intended to provide relief to households and local high streets.

Despite these developments, the government’s approach faces scrutiny from within the labour movement. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the Unite union, recently emphasised that the Prime Minister faces a critical opportunity to define the trajectory of the current administration, urging the government to adopt an economic agenda that prioritises working-class interests.

Cabinet minister Louise Haigh, speaking ahead of the Prime Minister's visit, declared that No10 North is open for business. Moving forward, the government intends for the Manchester office to act as a central location where combined authorities, mayors, and central departments can align their efforts within a single planning framework, rather than operating under competing strategies.

What to Watch Next

• Ministerial Presence: Other Cabinet ministers are expected to join the Prime Minister at the Manchester site on a rotating basis to ensure that regional concerns are embedded in national policy development.
• Strategic Coordination: Future meetings of the National Economic Council will include diverse stakeholders, including the CBI, the Federation of Small Business, and the BCC, with attendance determined by the specific policy sector under discussion.
• Devolution Implementation: The government has committed to using the hub to drive a long-term re-balancing of power, signalling a shift in how resources and investment are directed to areas previously outside the Westminster sphere.