PM Burnham opens No10 North government base in Manchester

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will formally open a new government base in Manchester on July 24, 2026, a move central to his pledge to decentralize economic decision-making away from London. The office, dubbed "No10 North," will serve as a secondary seat of government, with Burnham planning to work from the site at least one day each week. The initiative aims to shift power from Westminster to regional centers, a key theme of Burnham's premiership which began on July 20.

The prime minister will chair the first meeting of a revived National Economic Council at the Manchester location. This cabinet-level body, first established during the 2008 financial crisis, will bring together senior ministers and regional mayors to coordinate national economic growth strategy. Burnham described the new base as "the situation room for making Britain better" and declared that "the days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good."

No10 North is initially operating from Heron House, an existing government office building in central Manchester that also houses a northern hub for Britain's intelligence, cyber and security agency. The long-term plan is to relocate the operation to a new...