Prime Minister Andy Burnham began work at No 10 North in Manchester on 24 July 2026, presenting the new office as a base for shifting decision-making beyond Westminster and strengthening the government’s devolution agenda.
The initial operation is based at GCHQ’s Heron House in central Manchester. The government described No 10 North as a working centre intended to coordinate devolution, regional growth and the delivery of national priorities outside London.
A test of Burnham’s devolution agenda
Burnham has argued that concentrating political and administrative power in Whitehall has contributed to regional inequality and weakened local decision-making. The Manchester office is intended to give ministers and officials more direct contact with regional leaders, businesses and public services.
The initiative connects with wider plans to expand the powers and financial autonomy of English mayors. Its success will depend on whether the government transfers meaningful authority and resources rather than simply relocating meetings and staff.
Read more about devolution and democratic power in the UK.
Questions over delivery and accountability
Running senior government operations from more than one location will require clear responsibility, secure communications and coordination with Whitehall departments. Parliament will also need to retain effective scrutiny over decisions taken through the new structure.
No 10 North is therefore both a symbolic challenge to London-centred government and a practical test of whether administrative decentralisation can improve policy delivery across the country.
