Andy Burnham's 'No 10 North' to be based in Manchester civil service hub

A civil service base that is under construction in Manchester has been earmarked for Andy Burnham’s No 10 North, according to reports.

The northern centre of government will be in Ancoats, on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, but the site is not due to be completed before 2028, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Burnham, who is widely expected to succeed Keir Starmer as prime minister in July, has pledged to shift part of his operation north.

He has called for a radical overhaul of the “broken” Westminster system of government, and has said he would split his time living between London and Greater Manchester.

The business case for the Manchester Digital Campus in Ancoats was formally signed off by the Treasury in March. It is being built on brownfield land and will bring together about 8,800 people from multiple government departments, with a focus on digital work.

The site is aiming to be fully operational by 2032 and will provide approximately 900,000 sq ft of purpose-built workspace across two buildings.

Burnham’s team is understood to be looking for an interim office in the city to use in the meantime. As Manchester mayor, Burnham was based in the Tootal Buildings on Oxford Street. The city council is located in the town hall, which is undergoing a huge renovation project costing upwards of £500m.

The Grade I-listed building closed in 2018 for repairs, which are now scheduled to be completed by spring 2027.

Caroline Simpson, the chief executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, has been appointed by Burnham to head up his operations in the north.

Burnham’s plan to devolve parts of Westminster to the north has been largely welcomed by politicians and business leaders.

Henri Murison, the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the move “will help ensure that the relocation of civil servants to places such as Darlington, York and Manchester delivers its full potential”.

He added: “These new government offices are helping regenerate those places, but ministers themselves have not yet made effective use of them. A regular ministerial presence outside Whitehall would strengthen decision-making and bring government closer to the communities it serves.”

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, said Burnham’s proposals to transfer more power to regional mayors “will help us lower the cost of living, regenerate our high streets and enable good growth across our regions”.

Huw Merriman, the chair of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board and a former Conservative rail minister, said the Makerfield MP’s plan to reinstate the HS2 rail link to London “is the real prize”.