Northern Soul: Burnham's Manchester No.10 plan

Northern Soul: Burnham's Manchester No.10 plan melissa.ittoo Thu, 02/07/2026 - 16:31 Former de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington joins the podcast to discuss the would-be PM's big speech. 1 Podcast Institute for Government No Civil service Public finances Cabinet Government reshuffle Civil servants Machinery of government Government reform Defence and security Public spending Labour Prime minister Starmer government Number 10 Ministry of Defence HM Treasury No The King of the North says he will remain – for some of the time – in his kingdom. But how will Andy Burnham's vision for a devolution circuit breaker – powered by a new Number 10 in Manchester – really work? Former de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington joins the podcast to discuss the would-be PM's big speech. How would No.10 North work alongside the original? Who calls the shots? Who is in charge? And what does it mean for the balance of power across the centre of government ? Plus: Keir Starmer’s parting gift/parting shot. What is in the Defence Investment Plan and how much will it cost? What we talked about in this episode 29 JUN 2026 Comment No.10 North: Burnham needs to be clear-eyed about the purpose of his Manchester office 26 JUN 2026 Comment Andy Burnham must sort out the centre of government on day one 10 JUN 2026 Comment Salami-slicing capital budgets for defence is bad fiscal policy making People featured in this episode Senior leadership Alex Thomas Executive Director Team Hannah Keenan Associate Director Team Thomas Pope Chief Economist Andy Burnham Keir Starmer Off Civil service Public finances