Prime Minister Andy Burnham stood in central Manchester on Friday and declared the opening of No 10 North the best day of his life. The claim carried more than a hint of theatre, yet it captured the scale of what his new administration intends: a permanent shift of ministerial work away from London.
Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July after Keir Starmer's resignation. Four days later he was already holding meetings at Heron House, the interim headquarters shared with intelligence agencies. A purpose-built site in Ancoats will not be ready until 2032. Until then this converted office block serves as the test bed for his decentralisation agenda.
He expects to work here at least one day a week. Senior ministers will follow. Those present for the launch included Chancellor John Healey, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, Environment Secretary Angela Eagle, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh. The list itself shows the ambition: almost the entire top table of government is meant to rotate north on a regular basis.
The cost argument surfaces immediately
Critics were ready. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the project a gimmick. It does not improve decision making, she argued, and simply creates another branch of the civil service. Burnham's response came quickly. He asked what it costs for everybody to troop down to London every time there is a meeting. "What does that cost?" he said. "So actually, isn't it better that we have a north pole that balances the south pole of our country, where power will always be concentrated?"
I think this might be the best day of my life. I'm not joking either. I know you think I am, but I'm not.
The Prime Minister's tone was light, but the underlying claim is serious. He presents No 10 North as a tool to deliver growth in every corner of the country and to shift power from Whitehall and Westminster to the regions. Yet genuine devolution should do more than move ministers around. It should empower local communities, strip out bureaucratic overhead and strengthen national cohesion through practical efficiency.
Instead the project risks becoming another layer of state presence. Burnham flew north on a government jet for the opening, an early reminder that symbolism carries real expense. No total cost figure has been published, but the interim operation at Heron House and the future Ancoats build both demand taxpayer money at a time when fiscal discipline is supposed to matter.
