Burnham sets out vision to transform Britain and fix ‘broken’ system

Andy Burnham at the People's Museum in Manchester on Monday. One of his main plans is to set up a No 10 North. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham at the People's Museum in Manchester on Monday. One of his main plans is to set up a No 10 North. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Burnham sets out vision to transform Britain and fix ‘broken’ system Expected next prime minister focuses on restoring faith in politics, cost of living and devolution in major speech What is Andy Burnham’s economic and political blueprint for Britain? Andy Burnham has set out his blueprint to transform the UK with a promise to improve living standards and restore faith in politics through the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen”. The person widely expected to be the next prime minister said the current system was “broken” and that “more of the same” would not be enough to tackle the significant challenges faced by the country. In a wide-ranging speech anchored by an ambition to “lift the country back up” and to revive hope among fed-up voters, Burnham said there needed to be a dramatic “change in how Britain is governed, not just who governs it”. With Burnham now all but certain to take over from Keir Starmer in less than three weeks’ time, his address was intended to show what direction he will take the country, and reassure both Labour MPs and voters who may feel he is untested, and even unprepared, for power. How would PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham change Britain? - The Latest Read more Speaking at the People’s History Museum in Manchester , the new Makerfield MP, dressed in his now-familiar dark T-shirt and jacket, said a “new direction” was at the heart of his offer, which included: A long-term ambition of greater public control of essential services such as water, housing, energy and transport to help curb the cost of living. A No 10 North hub to oversee the distribution of power and resources from Whitehall across the country, which the Guardian revealed would be run by his former chief executive in Manchester. The biggest council housing building programme since the postwar period, and a high street “renaissance” through reform of business rates. Rebalancing an education system that he said had been too focused on the university route and putting academic and technical courses on an equal footing. In his speech, Burnham once again sought to reassure that he would stick to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules, after he suggested last year the UK was “in hock” to bond markets , saying his programme was backed by the “discipline that comes from sound public finances”. But he said he would not announce key cabinet positions until he was closer to power, urging people to ignore “wild speculation” over his pick as chancellor, which would give the clearest indication yet about his economic trajectory. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary , is thought to be favourite. Hinting at an early package of cost of living sup