AIBU to wonder how a government can be based in Manchester?

@ThunderThunderThunderThunderCatsyou’re basically a non southerner 😁

Surely all previous governments have been based in London

No. Gainsborough was briefly the capital and government base 😁

but on a more serious note….

Looks like Burnham doesn’t want to move down south, think his wife has a high flying job (getting council contracts) in Manchester. So I can see his reluctance.

Not sure there is enough government buildings for all the SPADs, etc. and I assume Parliament will stay in London. So it does seem bonkers for everyone else to have to slep up and down between the two cities. What happens if Kemi or Farage become PM in a bit? Will they move government to Essex?

But the BBC moved operations to Salford….aka West Manchester for cheaper rent, etc. so maybe there’s something in it. Teams will work well for cross city meetings.

Electric air taxis will be launching in 2028.

they’ll all be zooming up and down in those

Geographically, in the whole of the UK you are a southerner. Even just geographically in England you are a midlander.

But culturally you can be a northerner if you like.

He's quite clearly going to govern from the centre-left. Mutualising utilities and building 1.5m new council houses is hardly socialism. And there has been no hysteria from the markets following Burnham's speech this morning.

Couldn't he call it "Number 10 South (but not as far south as London)"?

I know he has to start somewhere, and he has a hell of a job to do, but I'd be more confident if he hadn't just hit the "Manchester" reflex. Not that I have a problem with Manchester, it'd just have shown some ability to look to the rest of the country.

if I had to get used to it, you can too!

Speaking as someone who has family in both Newcastle and Manchester the east coast main line is approximately six million times better than the west coast main line.

I'd be interested to understand why you think it can only be done from London?

Technologica!

If Manchester isn't in the north, then does that mean as a scouser I'm not a northerner? I'd like to see you tell anyone from Liverpool they're a southerner. 😂

@ruethewhirl because his socialist plans are going to send the markets into meltdown, his tax raids will drive more away and impact markets ( and voter feelings!), he’s more pro immigration which people don’t want, his policies will further wreck the economy and he’ll be more hated than Starmer

he has no mandate for any of his policies, less so than Starmer.

Ooh, Larry. Yes! Mind you, probably better to have a break from the revolving door of PM's, he'll enjoy the peace. Hope he has a dedicated feeder and tuck into bedder tho!

I expect because this is our sixth PM in ten years. The country is so divided that it can't be governed and the press is in a continual cycle of agitation to remove the PM. This might be avoided if the major parties weren't themselves so internally divided but, as it stands, MPs can't seem to avoid threatening a leadership challenge on a monthly basis.

You do realise all governments use “other people’s money”? 🙄🤦‍♀️

It’ ll have to be Barry the whippet

As long as he doesn't take the helicopter all the time when he needs to travel like Rishi Sunak (that cost us £50 million), fine.

When there are huge problems in the country, his opening gambit is stick with me for 10 years and I am moving (some) government to Manchester...Just wait until the civil service unions get asked their opinions.. Has he not watched the Yes Prime Minster episode on this? Dont bother asking about any cost savings as they wont be any at the end of the day, there never is...

Well they try just relocate everyone to Manchester. Same as any organisation moving premises.

Like the BBC moved a bunch of people up there to Salford.

Loads would probably moan as they loved charging the taxpayer to have a luxury second home in London in order to attend parliament more conveniently.

It might make it cheaper to run the houses etc. I guess they'd sell the HOP to a luxury foreign developer?!

I was born in Manchester but lived in the NE for so long, it’s really not north!

But but but who will look after Larry the cat?

I don't give a fuck where they are as they are all as useless as each other. The interdepartmental communication is dreadful so won't be any worse or better if there's a few hundred miles between them.

He’s not proposing that at all.

Manchester is pretty far south to be fair. It cracks me up when people demand to be known as northerners when there is actually hunners of miles to the north.

Anyway, why should government have to stay in London? I have heard tell of office buildings in other parts of the UK, surely it can be done!

On a more serious note, we've have a shot of centralised government for yonks. Maybe let's have a go at a bit of decentralisation and spread the opportunity for involvement in government offices across the population.

All MPs except London MPs are back and forth.

Cumbria is also the actual north and it's easier to get to Manchester from here than London. I get your point though!

Does Yorkshire still want independence? He could sort that out too