Former Greater Manchester mayor promises radical devolution agenda after sweeping Makerfield victory

ANDY BURNHAM has used his first major policy speech since returning to Westminster to set out a blueprint for government, promising the biggest transfer of power away from Whitehall in modern times and unveiling plans for a new “No 10 North” in Manchester.

Speaking at the People’s History Museum on Monday, Burnham presented himself as the politician capable of breaking what he described as Britain’s cycle of economic stagnation, political division and over-centralised government.

The speech is widely being seen as his opening pitch to the country ahead of his expected move into Downing Street next month.

Burnham enters the contest from a position of strength after winning the Makerfield by-election earlier this month with a landslide majority. The result marked his return to Parliament and cleared the way for his challenge to succeed Keir Starmer.

At the heart of the speech was a promise to deliver “good growth in every postcode”, with Burnham arguing that Britain can no longer rely on decisions being made almost exclusively in London.

He said the UK remained one of the most centralised countries in the developed world and claimed the current system was failing the north, the south, London and the wider regions alike.

“The whole country suffers when the regions and nations are not meeting their potential,” he said.

Burnham argued that economic growth should be driven from communities and regions rather than directed from Whitehall, promising what he called “the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”.

The headline announcement was the creation of a permanent northern operation for the Prime Minister’s Office.

Burnham said a new No 10 North would be based in Manchester, but insisted it would not simply move power from London to one city.

“The job of No 10 North will be to make power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England and yes, into London,” he said.

Burnham used the speech to outline what he calls “Manchesterism” — an approach shaped by his years running Greater Manchester.

The model combines sound public finances, local leadership, infrastructure investment, housing, universities, business, public services and trade unions working together to drive growth.

He said his time in Greater Manchester had shown that a different style of politics was possible, based on “place first, not party first” and “problem solving, not point scoring”.

Burnham also attacked Westminster culture, saying Parliament had become increasingly fragmented and disconnected from the communities MPs represent.

He promised a more collaborative style of government and said MPs should be allowed to be “authentic representatives” rather than being controlled by fear of the whipping system.

He also said local government had been left “threadbare”, with councils struggling to meet basic responsibilities while national government had grown larger since the pandemic.

The speech was quickly attacked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who dismissed Burnham’s proposals as “more public control, more regulation, more taxes”. Reform UK figures also criticised him for not taking questions from journalists after the speech.

For Wales, the speech will be watched closely because of its focus on devolution, regional growth and shifting power away from Westminster.

His argument that decisions should be taken closer to communities is likely to resonate with ongoing debates about transport, healthcare, economic investment and local government powers in Wales.

With Labour’s leadership transition expected to conclude within weeks, Burnham’s Manchester speech offered the clearest indication yet of how he intends to govern: less power concentrated in Whitehall, more influence for regions and nations, and a long-term focus on rebuilding local economies and living standards.

A FRESH call has been made for Crown Estate assets in Wales to be devolved to the country, a call backed by Pembrokeshire councillors last year, after it made £210m profit this financial year.

Today, June 26, the Crown Estate published its annual review, also releasing a Wales-specific review, showing that, in 2025-’26 its profits in Wales were £210m, up from £8.7m in 2020-’21.

Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts said that Plaid Cymru – which has long campaigned for the assets to be devolved – has a “mandate to keep fighting for fairness” with devolving the Crown Estate being a position held by every council in Wales.

The new Plaid Cymru Welsh Government is also pursuing control over natural resources, in line with Scotland, where the Crown Estate was devolved in 2017.

Ms Saville Roberts said that profits from Wales’ natural resources being sent to London is a “striking injustice” and that the next UK Government “must take steps to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales”.

Back in 2025, Pembrokeshire County Council joined other Welsh councils in supporting the Crown Estate assets in the county being devolved to its people.

The Crown Estate owns 65 per cent of Wales’ riverbeds and beaches.

Proceeds from the Crown Estate, which dates to the 17^th century, are split by 25 per cent funding the Royal Family and 75 per cent to the UK Treasury.

Responsibility for the Crown Estate is already devolved to the Scottish Government, which has previously been reported as generating £103.6 million into the public coffers in Scotland in 2023.

A sticking point in Wales is that Westminster has to date been against any change.

A successful notice of motion before Pembrokeshire County Council, by Plaid Cymru councillor Michael Williams said: “We ask PCC to support the proposal for the Crown Estate assets to be devolved to the people of Wales, so that profits can be used to invest in the economy and communities of Wales.

“A poll in 2023 showed that 75 per cent of the population were in favour of taking control of the assets of the Crown estate rather than the profits going to the Treasury and the Crown.

“Local authorities are under huge financial pressure and placing the Crown Estate in the hands of Wales would be a significant step to address the lack of investment in our local government.

“We call upon the Welsh Government to ask Westminster to devolve the assets and revenue of the Crown Estates as a matter of urgency, as was done in Scotland in 2017.

“We demand that Wales is treated fairly and accepts management of the Crown Estate land for the benefit of the people of Wales.”

Councillors have previously heard the Crown Estates derives nearly £60,000 from some 16 leases in Pembrokeshire.

The £59,005 quoted at the time includes £26,600 for foreshore lease agreements, £8,520 for the land around Haverfordwest’s Riverside Market, and £12,800 for a sailing centre and car park at Cosheston Pill near Pembroke Dock.

MORE THAN 100 development schemes in Pembrokeshire, amounting to more than 2,300 homes, are in limbo due to the ongoing Nitrogen Neutrality guidelines from Natural Resources Wales, councillors heard.

At the June meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s services overview and scrutiny committee, members received an update on the ongoing issue of Nitrogen Neutrality which has led to delays in many housing schemes in the county since its introduction last June.

The area which development is required to demonstrate nitrogen neutrality is approximately 75 per cent of the county, including Haverfordwest, Narberth, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock.

The report, presented by Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways Cllr Jacob Williams, focussed on the implications of Natural Resources Wales’ (NRWs) Nutrient Neutrality requirements in respect of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) for development within the Milford Haven Inner waterbody catchment of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the measures being taken by the council at a local level to address this issue as well as the council’s contribution to regional and national initiatives.

The report said that, as of May, there were 21 planning applications which were in the system before the introduction of nitrogen neutrality requirements (June 2025) which are now caught and which remain undetermined, along with a further 66 undetermined since that date, and a further  15 applications which are caught by nitrates requirements, but which have not yet reached eight-week determination date.

It said the 102 developments caught by the nitrates issue amounted to some 35 per cent of the total undetermined applications; that figure even higher when determined (refused) schemes were taken into account.

Cllr Williams, who last year with the backing of full council, wrote a letter to the First Minister, conveying the authority’s “great concern over Natural Resources Wales’ recent river nitrates guidance in relation to development, and the serious effects this is having,” said that amounted to 2,376 of 6,741 potential housing units, adding that “Pembrokeshire County Council cannot approve development which is unable to demonstrate Nitrogen Neutrality”.

Last October, Cabinet endorsed an action plan to address the nitrates issue for affected development within its planning area, the early stages already delivered, with a final report due for Cabinet consideration this September in order to determine how mitigation opportunities identified might be taken forward.

Members backed a recommendation to note the action plan progress ahead of the report to Cabinet.