Andy Burnham Begins First Day at New No 10 North Office in Manchester

Operational Shift to Heron House

The establishment of No 10 North marks a significant pivot in the government’s administrative geography. While the facility is initially based in Heron House—a building in central Manchester that also hosts offices for the intelligence service GCHQ—the government plans to move to a permanent site currently under construction in the city’s Ancoats area. That long-term facility is not scheduled for completion until 2032. Specialist police officers have been seen guarding the Heron House location.

The move is part of a broader effort to move more civil servants out of London. Last year, a target was set to cut the number of roles in the capital by 12,000. According to the most recent figures, 19.6% of civil servants are based in London, a number that has been gradually decreasing for the past four years. The percentage of civil servants in senior roles outside of London currently stands at 13.5%, compared with 34.7% in London. Whitehall officials willing to move to Manchester have been told they will be offered relocation packages.

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Devolution and the National Economic Council

To mark his first day, the Prime Minister is set to chair a meeting of the National Economic Council on Friday. The committee, which was first launched in 2008, will focus on responding to economic challenges across the UK. The Prime Minister framed the initiative as a direct response to historical regional imbalances, stating: 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.

He further emphasized: The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good. The new office will see strategic decisions regarding devolution and local economic growth shift out of the Treasury—now led by Chancellor John Healey—and Angela Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, although both departments will have input in these areas. Rayner, whose constituency is in Greater Manchester, is also expected to work from the new site for the first time on Friday.

Business Engagement and Political Criticism

Beyond internal government shifts, the Prime Minister’s agenda includes talks with business leaders, including representatives of the Federation of Small Business, the Confederation of British Industry, and the British Chambers of Commerce, about how to generate growth and investment. Labour wants to create a plan that would pull from existing devolution strategy and local growth policy to allow civil servants, mayors, councils, and businesses to work together more closely. These discussions follow the Prime Minister’s announcement of a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, social clubs, and live music venues, effective from April next year.

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The opposition, however, has characterized these initial actions as insufficient. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized the Prime Minister’s ambitions as “too small,” urging him on Thursday to tackle high energy costs for businesses as well as a gap in defence funding.

When you are mayor of Manchester, you are handed a big pot of someone else's money, and you decide where to spend it, she said. “I’m sure this is great fun. It can make you very popular. But it is not the same as being prime minister. Andy Burnham needs to do better. He is behaving like he’s still the mayor of Manchester. He is now the prime minister of the United Kingdom, he needs to start acting like it.”