Andy Burnham plans to move parts of No 10 operation to Manchester

Andy Burnham is planning to move parts of the No 10 operation to Manchester as part of measures to devolve power away from London. The Makerfield MP will say next week he wants to transfer parts of the prime minister’s office to the north should he become prime minister later this year. The move, which was first reported by the Financial Times , is to be included in a speech next week laying out how he plans to deliver the radical devolution that he has promised. A spokesperson for Burnham declined to comment. The former Greater Manchester mayor will next week give his first major policy speech since winning the Makerfield seat. With the prime minister, Keir Starmer, having announced his intention to resign and the former health secretary Wes Streeting having confirmed he will not run for the Labour party leadership, Burnham is the overwhelming favourite to enter No 10 as soon as next month. So far he has said little about the policies he intends to pursue, though allies say he intends to put devolution at the heart of them. The UK has some of the worst regional inequality of any developed country, which Burnham argues is in part because political power is highly centralised in London. He has promised to govern according to a “Makerfield test” under which policies are measured against how they would affect his new constituents. …