Burnham says Britain needs a written constitution after devolution push
Andy Burnham says Britain may need a written constitution as he takes a “different approach” to running the country.
The Prime Minister previously advocated for such a document in his 2024 book, Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain, co-authored with Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram.
Speaking this week, Mr Burnham revealed plans for increased devolution, and said such proposals increased the case for a formal constitution because they would change Britain.
He said: “In the end, I think it does start to point towards a new constitutional settlement, particularly with what Steve and I were writing about with that commitment to equivalent living standards.
“I said in the speech I gave in Manchester a couple of weeks ago about good growth in every postcode. It’s not just a soundbite. I actually mean that.
“We need to have a country where everyone, in the end, can live a comparable life. That should be what we’re working towards.”
The former mayor of Greater Manchester said he thought that approach should be the “cornerstone” of a written constitution.
He added: “I think there is a case for a new clear set of principles about how this country should be run and things that should be minimum basics in all parts of the country, related to essentials and connectivity.
“It’s wrong that people are left arguing for things that are just fundamental, and they’re given in other parts of the country, and the lack of a constitution disempowers places in that situation.
“What’s coming through is we’re starting to say that everywhere will have the right to be a strategic authority, everywhere will have the right to retain more of their income tax, business rates.
“That does start to take you into the realms of a very different approach to running the country.”
Unlike many countries, the UK does not have a formal written constitution, but it is understood to have a constitution established through history by common law, statutes and conventions.