The key flaw in Burnham’s ‘No 10 in the North’ plan

Andy Burnham is bringing Downing Street to Manchester. The landmark plans for a Northern government hub were announced in Burnham’s speech on 29 June, in which he said that “No 10 North will be at the centre of a rewired Britain.”

In this clip from the latest episode of In The Room, former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara explains why she’s a fan of the idea: “One of the issues with our governing is that London is a terrible place to make decisions that affect the whole of the country. London is atypical and abnormal.”

Ex-No 10 special advisor Cleo Watson is a little more sceptical about a split administration: “You can have these Zoom calls, and they can be very productive, but so much goes on in person around the meetings, the little chats when you're getting your cup of coffee before or after. You pick up all kinds of stuff in the margins. And once the Zoom call is over, you don't know.”

New episodes of In The Room drop every week. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.