Andy Burnham holds first meeting at new No 10 North in Manchester

Prime Minister Andy Burnham today holds his first meeting at the new No 10 North in Manchester, a branch of Downing Street in the north-west that he has called the biggest rebalancing of power the country has ever seen. He will chair the inaugural session of the National Economic Council (NEC), a cabinet committee originally launched by Gordon Brown in 2008 after the financial crash. The NEC will bring together senior ministers and regional mayors to shift economic decision-making away from London.

Writing for The Guardian, Burnham said the initiative is about taking power down and placing it in the hands of those who can use it best. No 10 North will accelerate devolution, drive reindustrialisation and growth across every UK postcode, and remove barriers to regeneration—from council housebuilding to public transport infrastructure. The long-term ambition is to achieve equivalent living standards across all regions and nations of the UK.

Burnham is expected to work from No 10 North once a week, bringing him closer to his Makerfield constituents and the community where he grew up. Other ministers from the north-west, including Angela Rayner and Lucy Powell, will also use the office regularly, the government said.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of governing "like he's still the mayor of Manchester" and urged him to focus on broader national challenges.

Meanwhile, in media interviews, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the new administration is on "borrowed time" if it does not deliver quickly. She noted that Burnham understands public frustration over the cost of living. Rayner acknowledged that the target of building 1.5 million homes this parliament is a very difficult stretch but said she is not dropping it. She also ruled out introducing rent controls, citing the experience in Scotland.