Burnham pledges devolution and discipline if he becomes UK prime minister

The frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer was criticised for not taking questions after a speech setting out his policy vision.Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become Britain’s next prime minister, has vowed to “bring about the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen” by handing more autonomy to the regions if he succeeds Keir Starmer.In a speech on Monday setting out his policy vision, in Manchester where he spent nine years as mayor, Burnham pledged fiscal discipline and promised to reduce Britain’s ballooning welfare bill, having already sought to calm markets by committing to the government’s current borrowing limits.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘London cooking’: Why can’t the UK cope with the heat; when will it adapt?list 2 of 4Starmer couldn’t master the media. Can Burnham?list 3 of 4UK’s likely next leader Andy Burnham to unveil economic, devolution planslist 4 of 4Will Andy Burnham mark a shift in the UK’s Gaza policy?end of list“Growth cannot be ordered from the top down. Instead, it can only be nurtured from the bottom up,” Burnham said.“If councils can’t fix potholes, what chance do they have of bringing forward major regeneration schemes to get growth going?”He set out a 10-year plan to get “good growth in every postcode”, in a country where wealth and power are concentrated in London and the south of England.Burnham won a by-election on June 18 to regain a seat in parliament, where he was sworn in on June 22, the same day Starmer announced that he will resign as soon as a successor is chosen.Burnham is so far the only contender in the Labour Party leadership contest. If nobody challenges him, he will become prime minister by July 20.Although he is considered more charismatic than Starmer, Burnham will face the same political and economic challenges, including a sluggish economy, tattered public services and a cost-of-living squeeze.He will be constrained by the platform the Labour Party was elected on in 2024, with a pledge not to increase taxes on working people.