UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham officially inaugurated a new northern office in Manchester on Friday as part of his effort to decentralize political power and stimulate economic growth outside London. The office, called No 10 North, marks a symbolic and strategic shift aimed at reversing decades of centralized governance in England.

Burnham, who took office earlier this week following his succession of Keir Starmer, pledged that the new office would serve as a hub where Whitehall’s decision-making would increasingly engage with regions across the country. Speaking at the city centre facility, he emphasized that this initiative represents “a different way of running Britain,” with government responsibilities gradually shifting away from London's Whitehall district. The prime minister, formerly mayor of Greater Manchester, said he plans to spend at least one day a week working from the Manchester office.

“This is not just a new office,” Burnham said, adding that it will create a “sense of a more balanced country” and demonstrate that significant government actions can be successfully undertaken outside the capital. While acknowledging that London will remain the primary center of power, he expressed confidence that this approach would help spread economic opportunities more evenly across England.

The Manchester region, where Burnham served as mayor for nearly a decade, has demonstrated economic performance exceeding the national average in several areas, according to the prime minister. He views this success as a potential blueprint for other English regions seeking similar growth through greater devolution.

Despite Burnham’s vision, some experts remain skeptical about the extent of actual power transfer involved. Alan Trench, an academic and policy adviser, described the move as “de-concentration” rather than genuine devolution, noting that relocating public sector jobs outside London is common even in highly centralized states and does not necessarily imply a transfer of substantial authority. University of Glasgow professor Nicola McEwen noted that devolution within England has historically been “very asymmetric” and hampered by a prevailing London-centric mentality, contrasting with the devolved parliaments established in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland since the late 1990s.

Under the new arrangement, several government departments, including the finance ministry, have been directed to delegate “targeted transfers of overarching strategic functions” to No 10 North, according to a government minister’s statement to parliament. The northern office will operate within the newly formed Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (OPMC), which remains based in London under the leadership of civil service head Antonia Romeo.

In parallel, Burnham has also committed to reviving the National Economic Council, a body originally created in 2008 to address the global financial crisis. He was scheduled to chair its first meeting this week at No 10 North, bringing together ministers and regional mayors to coordinate economic policy across the UK’s constituent areas.