Should Burnham hand England's regions sweeping new powers in a "devolution big bang"?

Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in July 2026 after Keir Starmer's resignation and an unopposed Labour leadership win. He has advocated expanding English devolution, building on Greater Manchester's control of transport, housing and skills. A Financial Times piece on 19 July 2026 calls for a 'devolution big bang' to accelerate regional powers, prompting debate on whether this strengthens local delivery or fragments UK-wide policy making.