Prime Minister Andy Burnham begins working from No 10 North in Manchester

Prime Minister Andy Burnham at No 10 North

Establishing a Northern Base at Heron House

The establishment of a northern branch of Downing Street marks a significant shift in the administration’s operational geography. Located in Heron House in central Manchester, the office shares space with offices for the intelligence service GCHQ. Specialist police officers have been seen guarding the building. While the current setup is operational, it is viewed as an interim solution; the government plans to move to a permanent site under construction in the city’s Ancoats area, which is not expected to be completed until 2032.

Angela Rayner and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

The office is intended to facilitate a structural shift in decision-making regarding devolution and local economic growth. Strategic authority is moving out of the Treasury—now led by Chancellor John Healey—and Angela Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, though both departments will maintain input on policy. Rayner, whose constituency is in Greater Manchester, is also expected to work from the new site for the first time on Friday. Ministers Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh are set to operate from the site regularly, with projections indicating that up to 300 civil servants will be stationed there by the end of next year.

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The National Economic Council and Policy Objectives

On Friday, the Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the National Economic Council at the new Manchester location. The committee, which was originally launched in 2008, serves as a forum to address economic challenges across the UK.

The Prime Minister stated that 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 added that the days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.

Federation of Small Business and Confederation of British Industry

The administration aims to synthesize existing devolution strategies with local growth policy to allow civil servants, mayors, councils, and businesses to work together more closely. Burnham’s first week in power has included a series of interventions, including announcing a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, social clubs, and live music venues, effective from April next year. His initial day at No 10 North will include talks with business leaders, including representatives of the Federation of Small Business, the Confederation of British Industry, and the British Chambers of Commerce, regarding how to generate growth and investment.

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Political Criticism and the Future of Civil Service Relocation

The expansion of “No 10 North” coincides with a broader government initiative to reduce the number of civil service roles based in London. Successive governments have sought to move more civil servants out of London, and 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 figure that has been gradually decreasing for the past four years. The percentage of civil servants in senior roles outside of London 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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Kemi Badenoch and the role of mayor of Manchester

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has emerged as a vocal critic of the Prime Minister’s ambitions, arguing they are “too small.” During remarks on Thursday, she urged him to tackle high energy costs for businesses as well as a gap in defence funding.

Badenoch remarked that when an individual serves as mayor of Manchester, they are handed a large pot of someone else’s money and tasked with deciding where to spend it. She stated that while she is sure this is great fun and can make one very popular, it is not the same as being prime minister. She asserted that Andy Burnham needs to do better, arguing that he is behaving as if he is still the mayor of Manchester, whereas he is now the prime minister of the United Kingdom and needs to start acting like it.