Well, Andy Burnham’s commitment to devolution didn’t last long. It has failed to survive the mildest of challenges: a proposal by Westminster Council to discourage ‘vertical drinking’: i.e. people standing up while they are having a beer. It was enough to launch our beery prime minister into a frenzied Downing Street power grab. His spokesman, speaking in his absence as he takes a holiday after a fortnight in the job, reacted to Westminster’s plans by saying: ‘Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life, and it is thousands of jobs.’ Perversely, however, No. 10 has still tried to dress up its smothering of Westminster’s plans as a devolution measure by saying it is ‘devolving’ powers to London Mayor Sadiq Khan so he can block the proposals on its behalf. That’s Burnham-style devolution for you: the Prime Minister is going........

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