Andy Burnham has taken questions from MPs in the House of Commons for the first time since taking over as prime minister. The statement on his future plans for power comes six weeks after he took over from Sir Keir Starmer in July, just before Parliament's summer recess. Here are the main points from what he said.
Burnham told MPs his time as mayor of Greater Manchester had given him a "clear theory of growth" that further devolution of power away from Westminster would help boost the UK's economic prospects. But he said he wanted to avoid a "two-tier England" - where areas that have already been given greater powers pull away from those that have not. He announced that work was under way with Cornwall council and its six MPs on a devolution deal, "with or without" an elected mayor, to help the rural economy.
Burnham's move to grant the county greater powers, without requiring it to team up with councils in neighbouring areas, could open the door to more devolution for other single counties. Burnham also said he would meet leaders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to explore more local powers there. The statement was the first chance for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to grill Burnham on defence spending following headlines on the issue over the summer.
Chancellor John Healey was appointed by Burnham after quitting as defence secretary under Sir Keir Starmer, calling for the UK to spend 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2030. However, since entering the Treasury, Healey is yet to attach a date to this spending target, and has faced pressure to do so in recent days. Healey has said a target date for increasing spending to 3% of GDP will be set out at the next government spending review, expected in spring next year.
But in a potential signal of his intentions in this area, Burham said the arguments Healey had made about defence spending in his former role were a key reason why he had put him in charge of the Treasury. Burnham confirmed he would attend the COP31 climate summit in November, as he vowed to "meet the climate challenge". The annual UN climate change conference will take place in Antalya, Turkey, allowing Burnham to come face to face with many world leaders and senior officials.
While Sir Keir attended COP summits when he was prime minister, Rishi Sunak was criticised in 2022 for not going because he had "other pressing domestic commitments". Burnham's pledge to attend the summit comes as he faces a looming decision about whether to allow drilling to start in the Rosebank oilfield and Jackdaw gasfield, in the North Sea, which have been in legal limbo for a year. Labour's 2024 election manifesto promised to "finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end", after campaigners said it was unfair that flat owners had little control over spiralling property costs.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
