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Original poster

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

580 replies

dottiedodah · 29/06/2026 16:58

Andy Burnham is proposing to govern from Manchester when he starts on July 20th.How can this be so ? Surely all previous governments have been based in London?

OP posts:
Onegiantpupil · 29/06/2026 17:37

Unless he gets in and tries it we won’t know

It isn’t the entire government, it is a portion of it. I don’t think it is a bad idea to try it.

Problem with having everything in London is that life in London doesn’t necessarily reflect life in the rest of the country and so I think being able to give ministers insight into elsewhere can only be good?

mellongoose · 29/06/2026 17:36

MorrisZapp · 29/06/2026 17:31

Thus far we have the name 'Number 10 North' and absolutely no detail. So it's all hot air until he states what action he plans to take.

Agree with this. No details, no scrutiny. Absolute lash up. I’ve said it before, if we want to fix this mess we need a general election and a cross party plan of action.

Sensible politicians with experience, including AB. He’s going nowhere like this until he lays out the policies he wants to implement in order to pay for it all.

ComfyKnickers · 29/06/2026 17:36

There are already government departments outside of London. The Office for National Statistics is mainly in Newport, The British Geological Survey is based outside Nottingham, the DVLA is in Swansea, HMRC have 13 offices outside London.

People outside of London can read and count you know, some even have degrees!

Violinist64 · 29/06/2026 17:35

He has not been made prime minister yet but everyone across the media is carrying on as if it was a done deal. I sincerely hope that someone else will be made prime minister. The whole thing seems very shady to me.

mommatoone · 29/06/2026 17:34

Let's hope he goes to London!! We've had enough of him up here🤣.

LBFseBrom · 29/06/2026 17:34

He will no doubt be back and forth, he'll have to be because No 10 and the Houses of Parliament are in London.

ExtraOnions · 29/06/2026 17:34

Just like in London … but more Chips and Gravy

hahabahbag · 29/06/2026 17:31

I personally think we should be moving parliament to Birmingham, close to the airport - purpose built buildings on an enclosed campus which can be kept secure and apartments for all the MPs for their use (any other housing is at their own expense!) the current buildings are basically only fit to be a museum anyway.

MorrisZapp · 29/06/2026 17:31

Thus far we have the name 'Number 10 North' and absolutely no detail. So it's all hot air until he states what action he plans to take.

ThunderThunderThunderThunderCats · 29/06/2026 17:31

WarriorN · 29/06/2026 17:05

It’s actually the midlands.

So would be equally distant for everyone to get to.

Though I must say it’s easier to get from the actual north (Newcastle) to London by train than it is to the new Identifies as North (Manchester)

Manchester is literally in the NORTH west! It's not the bloody midlands. Jaysus, next you'll be calling scousers southerners. 😂

Chritrup · 29/06/2026 17:29

Interesting to see how the AB off the shelf attack lines are coming along. Seems to mainly be (a) he’s just Keir Starmer but with a different head and (b) he’s a mad hard left socialist. Which can’t both be true.

If he’s just Keir Starmer but slightly more personable, why are people saying his policies are so wildly different that we need a general election? He’s either the same or different.

BauhausOfEliott · 29/06/2026 17:29

Duvetdayneeded · 29/06/2026 17:21

The cost of moving the government for two years when Labour are voted out would be horrendous. Just shows what a - insert variety of words - Burnham is.

He isn't moving the government.

TFMinx · 29/06/2026 17:29

Gosh, without the safety ring of the M25, whatever shall they do?! I’ve also heard that northerners are…friendly…

abitbloodybrighteroverthere · 29/06/2026 17:28

Instructions · 29/06/2026 17:10

It would be impossible. Everyone knows governments can only function from London. Manchester doesn't have things like phone lines and internet connections and offices and transport hubs and so on, nothing ever gets done here- if people need to make a decision they have to take a train to London to do it!

Don’t forget no news media whatsoever.

Nor any culture at all. Never heard of an opera company (… …), or an orchestra, so there’d be nothing for visiting Tories to entertain themselves with.

And it’s all so grimy - how will all those delicate political flowers even breathe???

abitbloodybrighteroverthere · 29/06/2026 17:28

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abitbloodybrighteroverthere · 29/06/2026 17:28

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abitbloodybrighteroverthere · 29/06/2026 17:28

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BauhausOfEliott · 29/06/2026 17:28

hattie43 · 29/06/2026 17:18

This .

I doubt his grand vision will come off . Another socialist running on ideology using other people’s money .

Show quote history

Another socialist running on ideology using other people’s money

Whose money do think other governments use? Do you imagine that non-socialist governments just fund public services out of the Prime Minister's own pocket?

FWIW, Andy Burnham actually returned 15% of his own salary back towards tackling homeless in Manchester and has already announced that he's going to do something similar with his salary as MP for Makerfield.

Orangemintcream · 29/06/2026 17:26

Honestly so what.

Wont make any difference to the governing but then neither with Andy B. Different head same snake.

Maybe5 · 29/06/2026 17:25

Are you thinking of Parliament, op?

IdaGlossop · 29/06/2026 17:25

Duvetdayneeded · 29/06/2026 17:21

The cost of moving the government for two years when Labour are voted out would be horrendous. Just shows what a - insert variety of words - Burnham is.

It shows no such thing. The proposal is to establish the devolution operation in Manchester, not the whole of Whitehall and Westminster.

Chritrup · 29/06/2026 17:23

It’s just a lawless anarchy up here in the North and he’ll have to get the wildlings under control first.

But really, is this a serious question?

IdaGlossop · 29/06/2026 17:23

Instructions · 29/06/2026 17:10

It would be impossible. Everyone knows governments can only function from London. Manchester doesn't have things like phone lines and internet connections and offices and transport hubs and so on, nothing ever gets done here- if people need to make a decision they have to take a train to London to do it!

And don't forget that we northerners don't have two brain cells between us.

Duvetdayneeded · 29/06/2026 17:21

The cost of moving the government for two years when Labour are voted out would be horrendous. Just shows what a - insert variety of words - Burnham is.

AlcoholicAntibiotic · 29/06/2026 17:20

Parts of Government have already been moved to different regional locations, so this isn’t a huge departure.

i just wish they’d realise that there are other regions outside London and “the North”.

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