Andy Burnham is looking to move part of his Prime Ministerial operation to Manchester if he is elected leader of the Labour Party.
Since 1735, the Prime Minister has traditionally lived and run their administration from behind the iconic black door of No10 Downing Street in London.
However, under Mr Burnham’s plan for devolution, which he intends to set out on Monday, the leadership hopeful will depart from beyond Westminster and create a “No10 in the North”.
One person briefed on the plans told the Financial Times: “Andy has big plans on devolution and that includes having an office in the north.”
A spokesman for Mr Burnham declined to comment but said that he would set out details “in due course”.
The outgoing Mayor of Greater Manchester has long been a vocal critic of the Westminster political system, describing it as an outdated, overly centralised system and accusing it of failing ordinary people.
Earlier today, during Prime Minister’s Question Time, Kemi Badenoch warned Labour MPs about how the newly elected Makerfield MP will not turn the tide.
Mrs Badenoch said: “The real problem is the Labour Party. He (Sir Keir Starmer) U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they’ve abandoned him.
“And what for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt isn’t the truth that whoever is in charge.”
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Shabana Mahmood abandons plan to house asylum seekers at army barracks
Shabana Mahmood is said to have abandoned plans to house asylum seekers at a Scottish army barracks.
The Government previously planned to move 300 illegal migrants to the military base in the Scottish Highlands as Labour battles to get a grip on Britain’s spiralling migrant crisis.
However, Cameron Barracks in Inverness will now not feature in the highly controversial plans, according to The I Paper.
Resistance from the Scottish National Party (SNP) is understood to be a main reason for the change as well as legal objections.
The Home Office will plough on with the mass relocation of asylum seekers elsewhere in the country.
Lisa Nandy has denied that the Government could force social media platforms to push “woke” content online, as a proposal for companies to prioritise public service media content came under fire.
The Culture Secretary refuted suggestions by her Conservative opposite number, Nigel Huddleston, that it could require platforms including Facebook and X to boost “lefty” content, as she took questions on the Government’s new policy proposals.
Under the Government’s Green paper, Watch This Space: A Strategic Direction For UK Media, the Government would ensure that social media companies and video-sharing platforms prioritise content from the mainstream establishment publishers, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, as well as regional broadcasters STV and S4C.
Ms Nandy told MPs that others, including national news websites, could be included, but Mr Huddleston expressed concern that the result could be one-sided as he attacked the BBC for previous errors.
The shadow culture secretary said: “Many people question the BBC’s coverage of politics in general, of trans-rights, of Israel, and so on.
“The BBC doctored a video of President Trump. It fails to call Hamas a terrorist organisation. It has pushed highly questionable content through BBC Arabic, and it reprimanded a news reader for saying pregnant women rather than pregnant people.
“Now, there may be plenty of people who like the idea of legislation to push woke or lefty content online.
“I am not one of them, and there are many people who agree with me, so can (Ms Nandy) provide more details on how trusted content will be defined, and who will ultimately be the arbiter?”
Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation speech on Monday morning was largely drowned out by Steve Bray, who played Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” as he gave his remarks to the nation.
The outgoing Prime Minister has previously said the song is one of his favourite pieces of music.
Kemi Badenoch has written to the Met Chief over his “aggressive style of protest… is anti-social, a nuisance, and a national embarrassment.”
The Tory leader argued Mr Bray has “continued his anti-social campaign that shames our democracy”.
READ THE FULL LETTER POSTED TO X ABOVE
PMQ’s RECAP: Kemi Badenoch swipes at Andy Burnham in Keir Starmer’s first PMQs since resignation
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has told Sir Keir Starmer the “real problem is the Labour Party” in the first Prime Minister’s Questions held after his resignation on Monday.
Sir Keir and Mrs Badenoch locked horns in a fiery exchange, with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle reminding the pair about tone and language.
However, the Leader of the Opposition also warned Labour MPs about how newly-elected Makerfield MP Andy Burnham will not turn the tide.
She said: “They have abandoned him for a pair of eyelashes and a black t-shirt.”
Mrs Badenoch added: “The real problem is the Labour Party. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they’ve abandoned him.
“And what for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt isn’t the truth that whoever is in charge.”
However, Sir Keir mocked successive Tory Prime Ministers.
The Prime Minister told the Leader of the Opposition: “The test for every Prime Minister is handing over the country in better shape than you found it.”
He added: “I know I can do that. Which is more than can be said for her predecessor, her predecessor’s predecessor, and her predecessor’s predecessor’s predecessor.”
