Andy Burnham will become the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade when he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer and takes office on Monday.
The former mayor of Greater Manchester returned to parliament in June after winning the Makerfield by-election and promised to set a “new direction” for the UK, with an outpost of 10 Downing Street based in Manchester to drive his plans to “rewire” the British state through a political project built around devolution.
Mr Burnham, who represented Leigh in parliament from 2001 to 2017 and served in government under Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, said he would transform Britain by transferring power out of Whitehall and giving regions the ability to control essential utilities, transport and housing.
Pledging the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”, the Makerfield MP calls his brand of politics “Manchesterism”. He vows it will bring an end to “trickle-down economics” through “good growth in every postcode”.
As Mr Burnham prepares to take on that task, The Independent spoke to people in London about the incoming prime minister, what they want from him and what they think of his plans to move power out of the capital.
“I'm hopeful that he will enact some reasonable, I'd say radical change. I think that's what people are after.
“I think Keir was actually doing quite a good job and it’s a bit sad in a way that he resigned. I think he was actually quite an effective prime minister, but people need to see more action.
“There's a serious appetite for change, not in an incremental sense but, more bold policy change that's going to especially cater to young people, help with cost of living, help with cost of housing and rent.
“I’m curious to see how he thinks about land value tax, his devolution ideas and how he’d spread the wealth around the country a bit more effectively.
“Coming from Australia, it all seems very concentrated in London.”
“I know nothing about Andy Burnham. I know nothing at all.
“I don't think many people know what he stands for, what he's looking to deliver, what he's looking to do. I know nothing, apart from his name - Andy Burnham.
“But at the moment, there's such divisive rhetoric that is sweeping across the country. Nobody needs that. It's not lowering the price of petrol, it's not lowering the food prices. We need a leader who brings people together.
“I mean, every high street you go to is either deteriorating, they're not building back, they're just leaving it stagnant. I work on a high street, and, every day, there's another shop that closes.
“We need someone who's actually going to try and help every section in society if we want to progress, and just live a standard of life rather than just surviving. Because that's all we're doing now surviving, well, I know I am.”
“I quite like Andy Burnham, but to be deadly honest, I liked Keir Starmer as well, so I wasn't particularly happy that he left.
“But I think Burnham will be okay. He'll do a good job.
“The country probably does need a better distribution of wealth. But then, that's always a problem for Labour because, when they try to do that, they don't get into power, so he's going to find it quite difficult.
“He's done that very well in Manchester, there's quite a lot of things going up to the North East as well. Where I come from in Darlington, there's quite a lot of devolved things happening there as well, so I think it's a good idea.
“It appears he's going to have to have a bit more of a personality [than Starmer], which is what people seem to jump on - that seemed to be what made Boris Johnson quite popular - being a bit of a wacky character.
“It's going to have to be more dynamic, probably. I think he'll connect with more voters. He seems to be quite down to earth, although I never really saw Keir Starmer as being particularly aloof. I thought he was quite a decent guy.”
“I wouldn't say I was excited [about Burnham becoming prime minister], but I do see it as probably the last hope. I think there's a lot of divisive politics and it's our last chance really.
“I think Burnham is very inclusive. What he's done for Manchester is pretty good but it's going to be a big task, isn't it?
“I'd like him to make it a bit more upbeat, rather than just condemning others for what they do, to bring everyone into politics and make everyone feel part of it.
“I would agree with him [that Labour needs to change. I think they definitely overcommitted during the election campaign, and I think that put the shackles on.
“But there's been a lot of good stuff that's been done, and it's not really been reported on.
“With Burnham, I think he's very focused, he's a straight talker, and he has a vision that I think everyone will align to.”
“I'm very sad to see Keir Starmer go, because he's a decent guy. I don't think that Andy Burnham is going to come in with a pot of gold or do anything different.
“It would be wonderful if everybody can get behind Andy Burnham, because I'm really scared that Reform will come in but I think the way the whole system works is really difficult.
“People are backstabbing all the time, nobody stays in their job for long enough, and nobody's given a chance.
“But the problem is, there's not the money. Where's Burnham going to get the money from?
“All the promises that you can make when you're in opposition, but when it comes to it, I don't see what he's going to do to make any difference.
“I'm praying that everybody does get behind him, because I think it would be a very, very dark day if Reform came in.”
“My only worry is, if Andy Burnham takes office halfway through the term, is he actually going to be able to deliver successfully and then be re-elected? I think it will be pretty difficult especially considering how much he's promised so far.
“I think moving parts of the government down north is a nice idea but I question how feasible it is and how much it will cost.
“I’d like to see something like HS2 being put on track. I saw he did like a Reddit Q&A about HS2, so that'd be nice to see through.”
