One of the criticisms rightly thrown at Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, is that their policies so far have shown a profound lack of vision for the country. Sadly, it is very difficult to argue with these criticisms. So, are there any politicians, especially in the North, who are thinking outside the box and showing some vision?
Five Cities Plan
On 26 February it was reported in the Glasgow Times that Andy Burnham had stated that he believed that Glasgow should form a five-city pact with cities across the UK and Ireland in order for all five cities to become a force to be reckoned with. It was said that Burnham wants to see closer relations between Manchester and Glasgow, as well as neighbouring Liverpool and Belfast and Dublin across the Irish Sea, to create a group that can benefit each city. It was noted that, “the five cities all have similarities among its people and the culture within each of them and Mr Burnham reckons that is more important than what separates them.” The article goes on to say, “He is certain that by coming together, it can make each of them a force and give them more power to improve and develop parts of their own city”.
Reforming Education
Then in March, Burnham stated that because Whitehall is failing to listen and respond to their needs, it was his belief that the number of young people not in education, employment or training had now risen to unacceptable levels. The mayor of Greater Manchester was to warn that the number of “neets” (not in education, employment or training), which now stands at the highest figure in 11 years – almost 1 million – and would continue to rise unless the Department for Education (DfE) adopted a new schools policy more geared to their requirements.
It was further reported that, “Based on experience from Manchester, Burnham will say that one of the main causes of this is a school system that fails them and is overly focused on the traditional university route, rather than catering for the requirements of those who want to pursue technical paths. He will say that schools in England are judged by Ofsted on their performance against the English baccalaureate (EBacc), described on the DfE’s website as a collection of GCSEs “considered essential to many degrees”. He will argue that this has left England with an education system designed for some but not all young people.” The article goes on to note that “In Greater Manchester, about two-thirds do not pursue the traditional university route”.
Transport in the North
On 2 April, it was reported that Andy Burnham had told Whitehall it must remove its “bias against the North” if it was ever to achieve its goal to grow the economy.
Burnham was reported as saying that the power of “place” – where people live – should be at the heart of the government’s growth plans and he criticised huge “information gaps” between policymakers in London and people living in their communities.
It was also reported that Burnham, “recounted how in 2021 the Tories in No10 were left in disbelief after he said in a speech that bus prices in his area were triple those in London. “Transport for Greater Manchester received a call from 10 Downing Street asking if the claim was true. It was,” he said. “And it revealed just how little thought the centre had given to this.””
Comment
There has been much criticism of the London-based Labour government in the nine months since they came to power and much of it has been warranted. They have cut Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners, slashed much-needed Foreign Aid, and cut benefits for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. However, the biggest criticism I would aim at the government is based on looking at their overall programme, rather than specifics; what is really going wrong with this government is the almost total lack of imagination and vision shown at the very top, in the form of people like Starmer and Reeves.
In these three news stories, however, we see something of the vision that is missing at Whitehall and in Westminster, but which we desperately need here in the North. Let me explain why…
Firstly, I was really intrigued with Burnham’s plan for a five-city alliance between Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Belfast, and Dublin. This is exactly the kind of vision we need in the North and which is so often lacking. In proposing this alliance, Burnham is doing things. He is thinking outside the box, which can often be a good idea- depending on the thinking of course! In this case, however, I think that Burnham’s thinking is correct, for reasons I will expand upon.
That is because, secondly, he is thinking outside one box in particular; the M25 box. Burnham is accepting the reality that a government based in London is always going to favour London and the Southeast, especially while the Treasury Green Book is in place. He recognises that we must do more for ourselves in the North and is prepared to ask for the money and tools to do this, while having the self-confidence to suggest that we can do more for ourselves in the North.
I hope that the five-city plan gets off the ground, as it could be a great boost to all five cities and hopefully and crucially also the areas around them, which in NW England, would include towns near the M6 such as Preston, Warrington and Wigan and old mill towns such as Blackburn, Burnley and Rochdale.
However, it would also be useful to see more flesh put on the proposals and see exactly how they would work. Hopefully more on this will be forthcoming over time.
Burnham is also correct to state that there is a major crisis in education across the country and particularly in places such as Northwest England. In Head North, the book Burnham wrote with fellow North West city mayor Steve Rotheram, there is a call for two equal paths in education post-14, with a serious and aspirational technical path to go alongside the academic and university path. This would provide a meaningful education for all, as opposed to the discredited and broken system we have at present. Under Burnham’s proposals, young people could see a route into the local economy and their aspirations could be raised accordingly. This kind of plan for the Northwest would be a vital link in helping the region’s young people to gear up for the challenges of the renewable energy transition which lies ahead.
Transport challenges for the North
Burnham is absolutely correct that there is a bias against the North, in terms of investment in transport. This sad and sorry state of affairs went on for fourteen years under the Tories, despite Tory Chancellor’s talk of a Northern Powerhouse and various promises of high-speed rail, between Birmingham and the North and more importantly, across the North itself from Leeds to Liverpool and from Manchester to Hull and Sheffield. Yet, in the end all these grand words and plans came to nothing.
It was hoped that the North might fare better under a Labour government given that the North is the heartland for the Labour Party, and it needs to deliver for us. These hopes looked like they were largely dashed in late January, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves made it clear where her priorities were. By announcing huge infrastructure projects for the Southeast, including a Climate Change inducing third runway at Heathrow Airport, a new Thames crossing and what has been described as “an ‘arc’ between Cambridge and Oxford, homes to the UK’s two historical and leading universities. The arc would see the two-hour plus journey between the two cities cut down, creating a region that will become “Europe’s Silicon Valley”. This also includes the development of ‘East West Rail’, which involves boosting railway links between the two cities with new and upgraded lines. A new railway station at Tempsford, Bedfordshire, would provide connections between the East Coast Main Line and East West Rail.”
And what exactly on a similar scale was offered for the 15 million or so people living in the North? Nothing. No plan for genuine highspeed rail across the North, and little support for the much-needed better rail and bus services across the North in general.
This was met by some protest in the North, which probably lead to Starmer making an announcement on 28 March about what was described as the “largest rail investment in the North in decades”
This was said to include:
- A Mass Transit system for West Yorkshire progressing, with the next stage of the business case expected in the Autumn – bringing growth to the largest city in Europe without a metro transport system.
- A new Merseyrail station in the Baltic Triangle – better connecting the city to ‘Britain’s coolest neighbourhood’ – starting works this Autumn and complete by Spring 2028.
- The Bury Interchange redevelopment fast-tracked with £80 million to improve bus and tram connectivity across Greater Manchester.
The North has been treated as a second-class part of England when it comes to transport for many decades now. The announcements of more investment in the North made by Starmer and Reeves at the end of March are welcome but can only be the start. We have a lot of catching up to do and there is still no sign of the long-promised high-speed rail from Newcastle to Liverpool.
There are some other unanswered questions. Was the statement made only because there was a protest in the North about the original statement in January? And why was there a separate statement about the North, some two months after the original statement? I think we need to keep an eye on this matter and Burnham is right to keep the pressure on.
Conclusion
There are some who would say that it is easy for Andy Burnham to float ideas, as he is not active in politics at a national level and doesn’t have the responsibility that would entail. And let us not forget that, at the moment, these three ideas are just that; they have not been developed and proved to be worthwhile projects. However, at least Burnham is thinking outside the box, in particular the blue M25 box, that we can see on maps of London. Burnham is thinking about the North and what is best for it, and he is providing us in the North with a positive vision of who we can become and for that we should be both grateful and supportive.
