Burnham skips No 10 North on wedding day after bride's TikTok plea

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham granted a bride's wish by staying away from the building housing No 10 North on the day of her wedding.

Sarah Burwin married her partner Fred on Friday at the register office located in the same Manchester building, Heron House, that also serves as the government's new northern headquarters, No 10 North. In July, Burwin posted a video on TikTok explaining her concern that the security measures surrounding Burnham's presence — police and barriers — could spoil the outdoor wedding photos she had planned outside the venue. The video has since drawn nearly 1.5 million views.

In her post, Burwin said Burnham would still be welcome to attend, but asked him to give his security detail "an hour off" for the occasion. She also joked that he could DJ the evening reception.

A video message instead

Burnham did not show up at the venue on the day, but recorded a video message for the couple as he left the building. In it, he thanked them for the invitation, explained he was honouring Burwin's original request to stay out of the way, and wished them a wonderful day. He thanked them for being good-humoured about No 10 North unexpectedly becoming part of their wedding, and said the promised DJ set would have to wait for another occasion, asking guests to play some Manchester tunes on his behalf instead. Burwin responded enthusiastically to the gesture in the comments.

Burnham opened No 10 North within days of becoming prime minister, fulfilling a pledge made before he succeeded Keir Starmer. The office falls under his newly created Office of the Prime Minister, which absorbed parts of the Cabinet Office, the Treasury and the housing ministry, and will focus in part on economic growth policy across the country.