Andy Burnham’s plan to run Britain part-time from Manchester will see him shun move to Downing Street and keep his main residence in Wigan

Andy Burnham wants to manage England part-time from Manchester.

The future prime minister yesterday said a new ‘No 10 North’ police station would be the ‘nerve centre’ of his government.

Friends of the former Manchester mayor also say he plans to spend one or two days a week in the former northern fiefdom when his schedule allows.

Mr Burnham also plans to avoid moving to Downing Street, keeping his family home near Wigan and only using No 10 when working in the capital.

In his first intervention since returning to Parliament, Mr Burnham, who will be appointed prime minister at Labour’s coronation next month, yesterday laid out a Leftist manifesto that includes a massive wave of new town halls, a focus on factory jobs and state control of public services.

He claimed that the movements could revive the ‘working class aspiration’ of the 1970s.

He said No 10 Northern police station would be the ‘nerve center of a restructuring Britain’.

He added that this would help fix Britain’s ‘broken’ political system and provide ‘the greatest balancing of power our country has ever seen’ to deliver ‘good growth in every postcode’.

Once he had the keys to No 10 Downing Street, he would only use them when he came to work in London.

The Daily Mail revealed yesterday that Mr Burnham is eyeing potential tax raids on middle-class southerners to fund his plans, which include an annual property tax based on the value of family homes.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said his agenda meant ‘more taxes’ so he could ‘send money to the North of England to bribe voters at the next election’.

Cloning security at castle level No 10 in the North could cost taxpayers tens of millions of pounds a year, security experts have warned.

Both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak explored the idea of ​​living in their family homes in London while serving as Prime Minister, but were told the demands of the job made this impossible.

Some within the government fear Mr Burnham’s plans could also accelerate Whitehall’s work-from-home culture, with more civil servants opting to ‘intervene by phone’ when the Prime Minister is out of the capital.

But Mr Burnham said the plan was central to his vision to expand devolved government across England.

A friend told the Mail: ‘He will not be using number 10 as his main home but will stay in Golborne.

‘He said he would not forget where he came from if he was elected Prime Minister, and he meant it.’

As Prime Minister, Burnham would primarily remain at the family home at Golborne, near Warrington.

Another ally said: ‘This is not just part of a political strategy. This is Andy Burnham. He’s not just a Northerner, he’s a Northerner. That did it.’

Mr Burnham has evaded scrutiny since his massive byelection victory in Makerfield, which triggered a coup against Sir Keir.

As potential Labor rivals step aside, he looks set to become prime minister on July 20, despite not standing in the 2024 election.

In a tightly controlled appearance in front of cameras in Manchester, Mr Burnham insisted his plans were ‘consistent with the 2024 manifesto’ that brought Labour’s landslide.

But he again refused to take questions from the media about how he would manage him and who he would appoint to his senior team.

Ironically, his aides claimed that the self-styled ‘King in the North’ was unable to answer questions because he was in a hurry to get back to London.

Addressing an audience of Labor activists, Mr Burnham acknowledged that the devolution drive could take a decade to deliver a sustainable rise in living standards.

But he insisted that a radical restructuring of the state was essential to rebuilding Britain.

‘Westminster isn’t working for the people and hasn’t been for a very long time,’ he said.

‘Actually it’s broken. As a result, the country is not where it should be. It’s at an impasse.

‘We cannot live another decade as we lived before. ‘We need a new determination to raise the living standards of every person in this land.’

Mr. Burnham’s speech was light on policy details. But he promised to create a world where mayors have new powers over taxes, housing and welfare, where there is ‘good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart’.

He hinted at faster help on the cost of living in this autumn’s Budget, adding: ‘While I am not taking risks on the public finances, I will try to give the UK some breathing room as soon as possible.’

Nigel Farage has warned that Britain cannot afford to wait another decade for change to happen.

The Reform UK leader pointed to experiences in Wales and Scotland that devolution does not automatically lead to better growth or public services.

Mr Farage said: ‘Giving mayors up and down the country more and more powers, including powers to collect taxes, alone will not stop the boats, nor will it deal with the national debt.

‘He says it will take ten years to get England back on its feet. Those of us who believe Britain is falling apart will say we don’t have ten years left.

‘The country will be completely unrecognizable within ten years. The country demands immediate action.’

Ms Badenoch said Mr Burnham’s plans meant ‘more and more governments being formed all over the country’, adding: ‘More politicians, more outsourcing of decisions to bodies with less scrutiny and accountability.

‘He has no plan other than to go to the mayors and tell them to get this done. This isn’t good enough.’