After British Prime Minister Sterling announced his resignation, Andy Burnham, a Labour party member who was former mayor of Greater Manchester, is seen as the most likely candidate to succeed him. According to the UK Guardian report on June 28th, Burnham plans to introduce a decentralization scheme, transferring some decision-making power to various regions and communities in the UK, in order to achieve "good growth for every region."
Bernam is expected to give a speech on the 29th local time, outlining his ten-year strategy after taking over as British Prime Minister. Bernam believes that the high concentration of political power in London is one of the reasons for the serious imbalance in regional development in the UK. He plans to announce ‘the largest decentralization of power in modern Britain’, claiming that he aims to bring Britain back to its rightful place.
Bernam advocates decentralizing some decision-making power to various regions and communities in the UK, including granting local governments some tax powers. This would replace the current ‘top-down’ national model, thereby achieving ‘local economic growth’.
British Labour MP Andy Burnham IC photo
Reports say that Burnham is expected to emphasize in his speech that what the UK needs is not just a change of leadership, but also a “change in the way Britain is governed”. Burnham is also considering moving some of the work from the British Prime Minister’s office to Manchester, in order to promote decentralization and coordinate economic revitalization plans across the UK.
Bernam claimed that if he became the British Prime Minister, he would adopt the so-called “Greater Manchester Model”, which involves promoting cooperation between governments, businesses, universities, and communities. However, he has not yet disclosed the specific plans to implement this idea.
Additionally, it is expected that Burnham will echo Starmer’s ten-year government plan, proposing measures to improve the living standards of British citizens through revitalizing industries, building housing, improving infrastructure, and reforming public utilities. He will pledge to reform Britain’s public procurement system, ensuring “maximum support” for local employment and industries in the country.
On June 22 local time, Sturmer announced that he would resign as British Prime Minister. Burnham, who won his seat in the House of Commons through a by-election, is seen as the most likely successor. Burnham has always advocated the nationalization of key public services and has criticized the neoliberal economic policies for their numerous flaws.
However, according to Reuters' analysis, just like Stamer, Burnham, even if he is chosen as the successor, may find that his scope for governing is quite limited. On one hand, he will be constrained by bond market investors, who oppose any additional borrowing. On the other hand, he will have to face angry voters, who believe there are problems with the country's functioning.
The UK is already the country with the highest borrowing costs among the G7 countries. Economists at Citibank believe that if Bernam becomes Prime Minister, 'he will inherit a precarious financial situation, and he will have little policy tool to implement meaningful changes.'
