Back in early 2017, Greater Manchester was preparing to hold the inaugural elections for its first directly elected mayor. At the time, we were part of an EU funded research project exploring youth participation in politics. We attended mayoral youth hustings organised by members of local youth councils. Candidates for the position – including Andy Burnham – answered questions put to them by the young people of Manchester.

We saw how young people used tactics similar to those used by the suffragettes in Manchester’s Free Trade Hall during the 1905 general election campaign. They repeatedly lobbied every mayoral candidate for the creation of a Youth Assembly.

The northern English city of Manchester has played a critical role in the development of Andy Burnham’s political and social outlook. This series considers what some have dubbed Manchesterism and what it might mean for the future of the UK.

Samuel Remi Akinwale, now the CEO of Young Manchester – a non-profit connecting youth services in the city – was then studying for his GCSEs. He challenged Burnham,........

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