Angela Rayner backs Burnham No10 North devolution plan

Angela Rayner has publicly positioned herself for a leading role in Andy Burnham's proposed "No10 North" initiative, endorsing his radical agenda to devolve power from Westminster to England's regions. In a speech delivered on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, the former deputy prime minister argued that Britain's overcentralized state is stifling economic growth and called for a fundamental cultural shift in governance.

Rayner's remarks, made in a speech to the New Economics Foundation in London, were her first major public intervention since Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Labour leader. She framed devolution as an urgent necessity, stating that Britain is "one of the most overcentralised countries in the developed world" and criticizing "Whitehall empires hoarding their own power." She advocated for moving beyond what she termed a "begging-bowl culture," where local leaders must seek permission from central government for local decisions.

Her vision closely mirrors the plan outlined by Andy Burnham, the Makerfield MP and frontrunner to become the next prime minister, in a speech on Monday, June 29. Burnham pledged a "decade-long plan to transform Britain" by rewiring the...