Andy Burnham, the 56-year-old Labor leader and Britain’s new Prime Minister, is unofficially known as the ‘King of the North’. He has resolved to lead not just Westminster but the entire country. But what does that mean for where it will be based? Does his new appointment mean he will go behind the doors of 10 Downing Street? London? Or will he spend most of his time in the north of England?
The Lancashire-born politician became Prime Minister after a meeting on Monday 20 July King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. Generally, Prime Ministers tend to live in number 10 or 11 Downing Street. Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Boris Johnson all opted for number 11. Keir Starmer spent time between number 10 and his home in Kentish Town, north London.
It looks like Burnham will buck the trend. The new Prime Minister is set to split her time between Number 10 and New London No. 10 North in Manchester, which is scheduled to open in 2028.
Proudly in the North, he was born in Old Rhone, a suburb of Aintree near Liverpool and later moved to Culcheth in Cheshire. He was mayor of Manchester for almost ten years and promised to be a leader ‘for the north, south, east and west as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’, he said in his first speech as PM on Monday. ‘Yes, the answer is no England In fact it has given me a lot. And in turn, I’ve tried to give it the strongest possible voice.’
