Andy Burnham to deliver major speech to 'lift Britain back up' with plans for devolution of power to North

The frontrunner for prime minister Andy Burnham is set to deliver a major speech tomorrow, unveiling his plans for devolution of power to the North to "lift Britain back up", should he assume office as soon as next month.

In a speech in Manchester on Monday, the former city mayor and newly appointed MP for Makerfield will call for decision-making to be pushed back into local communities, creating a “No 10” in the North.

Mr Burnham is expected to detail ambitions for “good growth in every postcode”, with what allies say is the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in recent history.

The hailed "King of the North" will suggest his generation of politicians have a responsibility for the loss of public trust in politics, with polls now predicting a Burnham bounce in favour of a tarnished Labour under Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Burnham's address is said to commit to public procurement reform, centering on “buying British” in a bid to revive industry, securing “social value” in the form of work placements and apprenticeships.

His team also described proposed education reforms as “true parity” between the academic and the technical, building on what the outgoing Prime Minister has sought to nail down while in Government.

Britain's likely next prime minister will set out plans to boost economic growth, giving regional mayors more control over social housing, welfare and post-16 education, according to The Times.

In his book Head North, Mr Burnham said the current system saw regional leaders going “on bended knee” to Westminster, and called for a “more balanced approach, where councils and mayors were dealt some cards too”.

If the former Greater Manchester mayor remains the only candidate in the Labour leadership contest, his speech will come exactly three weeks before assuming office on July 17.

Senior Labour figures have insisted the party is united behind the popular figure, and dismissed the prospect of a general election to secure a mandate for any major shifts in policy.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed suggested Sir Keir’s likely successor would introduce “changes in emphasis” but stick to the “fundamentals” such as the Government’s rules on borrowing.

Supporting Mr Burnham, Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell said the newly-elected MP had built up a “clear sense of purpose”, and insisted people wanted the party to “get on with the job” of governing.

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Mr Burnham won a landslide victory in the Makerfield by-election earlier this month with 55 per cent of the vote share, following a disastrous set of local election results for the party in May - all but securing Sir Keir’s resignation.

The likely successor continues to mull his future cabinet, with Rachel Reeves appearing to have conceded to the prospect of losing her role as Chancellor.

Several senior ministers including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband have been tipped to succeed her under an Andy Burnham premiership.

Meanwhile, Steve Reed said he would be “very happy” to keep his Cabinet position within a Burnham cabinet, and had been speaking to the Makerfield MP in recent days.

While Mr Burnham is poised to assume No10, Reform UK earlier made sweeping gains in May’s local elections, and have called for a general election following Sir Keir’s resignation.

Similarly, the Tories have said they would be ready to fight one if needed, with leader Kemi Badenoch specifying the need to focus of defence, and that a snap election ought to be called should Labour fail to deliver.

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake dismissed Mr Burnham’s plans as “the politics of distraction”.

“Andy Burnham’s big idea is to shuffle power between politicians. Not fix the welfare system,” he said.

“Not cut the taxes strangling working families and British business. Not fund the defence our country desperately needs.

“Just more devolution, more committees, more process. It’s the politics of distraction from a Labour Party that is deliberately avoiding the questions that actually matter”.

The "King of the North", who is not a new face in Westminster, is the only candidate to publicly declare he will hand in his nomination papers for Labour leadership on July 9.

The timetable requires prospective leadership candidates to receive the backing of 81 Labour MPs, with Mr Burnham expected to scoop up the support of around 200 MPs.

If challenged, other candidates would also need to amass the support of 81 parliamentary colleagues before a contest could begin - delaying the new leader's appointment until the return of Parliament in September.

However, if Mr Burnham finds himself as the only eligible candidate, he would have the contest completely sealed before it could begin - cementing him as Britain's seventh prime minister inside 10 years.