Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Nangula · 29/06/2026 17:02

The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland all have a government based across multiple locations and they seem to function perfectly well. South Africa did this as part of the constitutional changes in the 90s. Venom seems strongly in favour of a pretty radical program of devolution, and that does seem to work quite well in Germany.

Although until we can reliably catch a train on time between london and Manchester, all bets are off really aren’t they?

TheCurious0range · 29/06/2026 17:01

But this what people wanted.....

Tbh I didn't have a lot of love for Starmer but we've got to stop teasing prime ministers live premier League managers. They need a full term to prune of they can do any of what they set out in manifesto. The co stant chopping, changing and infighting detracts from the actual job at hand

millymollymoomoo · 29/06/2026 17:00

he won’t last more than 5 minutes ( thankfully) so it’s all irrelevant really

adoptionfeelings · 29/06/2026 16:59

He can govern from the moon as far as I’m concerned if he can make the changes this country needs !

didntlikeanyofthesuggestions · 29/06/2026 16:59

I guess it would be like being based in London but everyone would have funny northern accents.