New Labour leader Andy Burnham has entered Downing Street promising something larger than a change of leadership. Britain’s seventh Prime Minister since 2016 wants his arrival to mark a break with the instability that has made political turnover almost routine. His challenge is to prove that replacing Keir Starmer can change the direction of government without producing yet another disruptive reinvention.

The early signals are deliberately ambitious. The new Prime Minister has put the cost of living, rough sleeping, council housing and youth opportunity at the centre of his domestic programme, while promising a 10-year plan for the country. More significantly, he speaks of returning essential services to public control and shifting power away from Westminster. These ideas suggest a more interventionist Labour government, with the state expected not merely to regulate markets but to shape economic and social outcomes. Decentralisation could become the most distinctive feature of his premiership. Burnham built his political identity as mayor of Greater Manchester, demonstrating how regional leadership can acquire authority independent of Westminster. A “No 10 North” in Manchester would only be........

© The Statesman