The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, will work from the newly created 'number 10 North' in Manchester for the first time today, in a step being presented as a clear symbol of his intention to move the centre of government away from London. The move places Manchester at the heart of the government's day and signals an effort to base decision making beyond Westminster.
The choice reflects the make-up of the current Cabinet, in which more than a quarter of ministers are North West MPs. Among them are the Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, and the Community Secretary, Angela Rayner, a concentration that makes working from the North both convenient and, for Burnham, politically useful as he builds a narrative around the regions.
Alongside the symbolism, questions are already being raised about whether the shift is substantial or largely presentational. Critics could portray the move as tokenistic, and the challenge for Burnham will be to prove that it amounts to more than a gesture. The distinction between a genuine transfer of power and a gimmick sits at the centre of the debate around the announcement.
Burnham sought to address that criticism directly in an article for The Guardian, in which he argued that the previous levelling up effort had been a gimmick. He contrasted his approach with earlier attempts to relocate government activity, such as the large campuses in Darlington and Leeds, where, he suggested, the actual decision-making power of government was not moved out of Whitehall.
The Prime Minister insisted that this time would be different, with real decision-making power being shifted to the regions rather than just civil service jobs. To underline that message, the announcement has been tied to the National Economic Council meeting for the first time in many years, an body originally set up by Gordon Brown in the aftermath of the financial crisis and now resurrected under Burnham.
According to the plans, regional mayors will be part of that National Economic Council meeting, along with union leaders and leaders of industry going forward. The idea is to make the council a key mechanism for showing that power is moving out of the structures of Whitehall and being handed to regional leaders, rather than remaining concentrated in London.
Burnham has also been speaking with the First Minister of Wales, in a bid to show that the project is meant to cover the whole country and not just Manchester. The approach is presented as symbolic of a broader effort to get government out of London, while framing the move as a nationwide shift in how and where decisions affecting the economy are made.