UK’s likely next leader Andy Burnham to unveil plan to shift power from London

Andy Burnham, the Labour lawmaker expected to replace Keir Starmer as British prime minister, will outline his vision for Britain on Monday, his office said, promising to change how the nation is governed with power moving from London to ‌the regions.

Burnham, who returned to Westminster earlier this month after winning a parliamentary seat, is currently the only declared candidate to take over from Starmer and could be installed in Downing Street within weeks.

Starmer announced last week he would step down, just two years after winning a huge parliamentary majority for Labour, as his popularity sank.

Burnham, who rose to prominence as mayor of Greater Manchester and has been dubbed the “King of the ⁠North”, will use Monday’s speech to make devolving power to regions and local communities his flagship proposal.

He will also commit ‌to a 10-year mission to raise living standards through re-industrialisation, housing, infrastructure and reform of utilities. The focus would be not just on who governs Britain, but on changing how it is ‌governed, his office said.

He will set out how he plans to “lift Britain back up to where it ⁠should be” and provide ⁠the “circuit-breaker it needs”, alongside a pledge to reform public procurement to better support British jobs and industry.