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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
whoopala · 30/06/2026 16:04

soddingspiderseason · 30/06/2026 14:31

So housing growth is bad? Should we only be allowed 2 up/2 down brick terraces? Yes, there are homeless people. As there are in all cities and large towns. And as regards surrounding towns, have you been to Stockport lately? It has significant regeneration, instigated by the person Burnham wants to lead the new office in the north.

Housing growth is less than sodding useless if no bugger is living in the properties because they're being left empty by far distant owners who bought them as investments only with zero intent to let them be a home to anyone. Housing that is not homes is not housing. That's just buildings. Little blobs on a monopoly board.

Boomer55 · 30/06/2026 16:04

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?

I don’t know, but I expect the whole thing will collapse within months. Abd then we’ll have yet another election🙄

Ginmonkeyagain · 30/06/2026 16:08

I mean it is Manchester, not Outer Mongolia. My employer manages to run an important, UK wide programme of work from Manchester.

Bloozie · 30/06/2026 16:14

I love the idea and it amounts to a satellite office. Drop your pearls.

AmazingGreatAunt · 30/06/2026 16:16

But how does he know for certain that he will be PM?

KaleidoscopeSmile · 30/06/2026 16:22

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!

*Is this a spoof post? - I can no longer work it out alone

HoppityBun · 30/06/2026 16:36

Violinorbanjo · 30/06/2026 15:22

exactly...it looks very totalitarian right now...he has not been voted for PM, apparently journalists questions were not allowed in this Museum meeting. Sorry but who is this little shit and who he thinks he is

Totalitarian? Is that political ignorance?

Words have lost their meaning. Which is Orwellian

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 16:45

YANBU. Let Scotland and the North become one unit or federation.

'England' is a Midlands and Home Counties phenomenon.

lifetheuniverse · 30/06/2026 16:48

So if we level up the North - then the land value will increase, the house prices will increase and they will be paying the same as the South - is that really what AB is suggesting is a good thing.
Effectively, London weighting is going to be come the land /wealth tax for the London region in most cases.

So what is wrong with London and the South devolving and keeping their tax revenues to boost up the deprived areas of Hackney, SE London and the other rural deprived areas in the South instead is subsidising the Northern deprived areas. What will happen is devolved areas can keep their income but the South will only get to keep it after giving x % to the Northern regions

ruethewhirl · 30/06/2026 16:56

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 16:45

YANBU. Let Scotland and the North become one unit or federation.

'England' is a Midlands and Home Counties phenomenon.

Say what?! 😂

Assuming your post wasn't meant satirically, whereabout do you suggest border control be placed, out of interest? And should that be with or without passport checks, guards and snarling dogs?

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 17:31

It makes sense historically, geographically, and culturally.

MadeInTheNorth · 30/06/2026 18:27

Terrible isn’t it. They are all going to be mauled by wolves in the frozen North.

You can’t even get decent coffee up there (( eyeroll))

lovecotswoldsliving · 30/06/2026 18:29

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 16:45

YANBU. Let Scotland and the North become one unit or federation.

'England' is a Midlands and Home Counties phenomenon.

Okayyyyy
Now I know that most people up North are hard working, intelligent people. You are obviously not one of them.
The Midlands and South of England generate 66% of the UKs income.
Scotland and the North just 27%.
So your idea would plunge you all into bankruptcy.
Whereas the South would suddenly become far richer.
Mmmmmm maybe your idea isn’t so bad after all???????

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 18:35

lovecotswoldsliving · 30/06/2026 18:29

Okayyyyy
Now I know that most people up North are hard working, intelligent people. You are obviously not one of them.
The Midlands and South of England generate 66% of the UKs income.
Scotland and the North just 27%.
So your idea would plunge you all into bankruptcy.
Whereas the South would suddenly become far richer.
Mmmmmm maybe your idea isn’t so bad after all???????

Yes, I am terrible.

lovecotswoldsliving · 30/06/2026 18:36

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 18:35

Yes, I am terrible.

Think all that mayonnaise has clogged your brain cells

MellersSmellers · 30/06/2026 18:40

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?

Don't be so stupid. Government departments have offices all over the country, so why not have a team with a particular strategic remit (i.e. parts of the 10 Downing Street operations tasked with boosting regional infrastructure projects) in Manchester, one of our major and most vibrant cities.
Bring it on I say, and I'm in London!

Pickledonions12 · 30/06/2026 18:49

dottiedodah · 29/06/2026 18:01

IdaGlossop .wasnt meaning to be rude ,just never heard of a govt doing this .Not very well atm and found it confusing .Not being rude to anyone from Manchester!

It's pretty commonplace. No biggie. London does not have to be the centre of anything

Get well soon

PetuniaT · 30/06/2026 18:55

It;s a crap idea. It will just create more division. Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland have devolved governments for their countries but idiot Burnham wants to work from home in Manchester. What will the people of Leeds, Birmingham and other big cities think? England needs to be run from London

ruethewhirl · 30/06/2026 19:13

ChipswithMayonnaise · 30/06/2026 17:31

It makes sense historically, geographically, and culturally.

Makes sense for whom?

Stelladid · 30/06/2026 19:24

Why does the Government need to be in London?

MrsPapillon · 30/06/2026 19:25

PetuniaT · 30/06/2026 18:55

It;s a crap idea. It will just create more division. Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland have devolved governments for their countries but idiot Burnham wants to work from home in Manchester. What will the people of Leeds, Birmingham and other big cities think? England needs to be run from London

Why? I’m not from Manchester and it makes no difference to me where government officials hold their meetings as long as they’re governing. London isn’t the centre of the universe.

Badbadbunny · 30/06/2026 19:27

lovecotswoldsliving · 30/06/2026 18:29

Okayyyyy
Now I know that most people up North are hard working, intelligent people. You are obviously not one of them.
The Midlands and South of England generate 66% of the UKs income.
Scotland and the North just 27%.
So your idea would plunge you all into bankruptcy.
Whereas the South would suddenly become far richer.
Mmmmmm maybe your idea isn’t so bad after all???????

How much of "The South's" revenue is from customers and workers in the North, i.e. customers of, and workers for, organisations that just happen to have their Head Offices in London/SE so that's where their economic/tax statistics get reported??

What would happen to the London/SE businesses if all their customers and workers swerved them and moved to organisations based in the North??

Badbadbunny · 30/06/2026 19:28

PetuniaT · 30/06/2026 18:55

It;s a crap idea. It will just create more division. Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland have devolved governments for their countries but idiot Burnham wants to work from home in Manchester. What will the people of Leeds, Birmingham and other big cities think? England needs to be run from London

Why?

soddingspiderseason · 30/06/2026 19:30

PetuniaT · 30/06/2026 18:55

It;s a crap idea. It will just create more division. Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland have devolved governments for their countries but idiot Burnham wants to work from home in Manchester. What will the people of Leeds, Birmingham and other big cities think? England needs to be run from London

Its one small, new department, not the whole government. There are already government departments in places other than London and the sky hasn’t fallen down yet. Although, to be fair, the sky is falling down now in Manchester, UK’s capital of rain.

lovecotswoldsliving · 30/06/2026 19:36

Stelladid · 30/06/2026 19:24

Why does the Government need to be in London?

It’s the capital. It has several airports and many major transport links. Most businesses have an interest there. The king resides there most of the time. The financial hub is there. MI5 and MI6
are there. It generates over a trillion pounds a year and all world leaders can fly directly into London. It is already set up for the government.
So is Andy going to set up his government at the end of his garden, with top armed security?
This stinks of costing a lot extra money, especially if loads of personnel have to relocate, many of whom will refuse.
Where will he entertain world leaders? Is the King going to have to keep popping up to Manchester for their weekly meetings?
Manchester is a thriving business centre, but it’s not set up for this. Would Manchester be prepared to pay for all this?
And what will Miliband have to say about the increased carbon footprint?

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