Andy Burnham picks Greater Manchester CEO to oversee devolution of power at No 10 North

Andy Burnham has asked the current chief executive of the Greater Manchester combined authority to be his deputy chief of staff, leading the new No 10 North, if as expected he becomes prime minister in three weeks’ time. Caroline Simpson, who worked closely with Burnham when he was mayor, will be based in Manchester to oversee the devolution of power and resources across the UK that he promised would transform the country. The Guardian understands that she will work alongside cabinet ministers and senior civil servants in Whitehall, as well as the devolved regions and nations, to drive economic growth across the country. Burnham has already appointed James Purnell , his former colleague from the Tony Blair era, as his chief of staff as he begins to finalise his team for government. It is not yet decided whether Simpson will be the only deputy. Simpson has spent her whole career in the public sector, primarily in the north-west of England, for organisations including local government, housing and regional development agencies. She took over at GMCA in June 2024. In a speech in Manchester on Monday, Burnham confirmed he would set up No 10 North as the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain”, arguing that the Westminster system was “broken” and needed a radical devolution of power to transform the country. …