Andy Burnham has hailed a Labour “breakthrough” on GB News while firing off a four-word pointer for the Prime Minister.
The Government has revealed plans to build a new railway line linking Birmingham and Manchester after the Tories axed plans to extend HS2 between the major cities back in 2023.
The Prime Minister vowed his Cabinet was “rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people” – despite the exclusion of a detailed timeline and budget.
The plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail came with a long-awaited confirmation of a new route between Liverpool and Manchester.
Speaking to GB News’ Chief Political Correspondent Katherine Forster about the major pledge, the Labour Mayor said: “The fact I feel today is a breakthrough for Greater Manchester on the north of England, I hope it gives people confidence that it actually is a breakthrough.
“I hope they know me well enough by now to know I would never accept second best for the North of England.
“I would never accept a half promise or a false promise linked to an election nearing. I wouldn’t ever accept it by under any Government.
“I can approach my job and I will tell any Government what I believe is right, right for us in the part of the world that I represent.
“And the fact that I can do that today is because we have the first Chancellor of the Exchequer and the first Transport Secretary, who has actually broken through some of the attempts that we’ve had to give Greater Manchester second class infrastructure.
Andy Burnham spoke to GB News’ Katherine Forster in Manchester earlier today
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GB NEWS
“They’ve actually opened the door to the right solution at Piccadilly, so I can stand today and say, yes, this represents a real change.”
Mr Burnham’s burning positivity for Westminster’s promise has not come without a word of guidance, however, with Sir Keir’s rumoured leadership rival offering up a four-word tip for the Prime Minister.
Asked what has prevented the project so far, he said: “I guess what’s been missing is a belief in the North.
“They don’t believe in us in the way that we believe in ourselves. That’s what’s been missing.
Mr Burnham hailed Manchester’s ability to transform – through its own means
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“The belief that we can be more in the 21st century than we were in the 20th century, when they allowed the deindustrialisation of the North.”
Sir Keir’s Cabinet has made history by being one of the most northern Whitehall teams ever, with around a third of his Secretaries of State hailing from northern constituencies.
Nevertheless, the Mayor insisted Manchester is responsible for its own success, hailing its use of the region’s devolved powers to transform the area.
“But actually, what we’ve done is we’ve taken the fairly limited powers they’ve given us through devolution, and we’ve done it ourselves.
Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner campaigning together in March 2024
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“Greater Manchester is the fastest growing city region in the country, and we’ve done that ourselves. No one did it for us down there. We’ve done it.”
He added: “Whitehall can’t say anymore that it knows all the answers, or it knows how to do anything because we’ve proven that that’s not true.”
Mr Burnham is widely speculated as a clear frontrunner to snatch Sir Keir Starmer, alongside big beasts Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner.
But Ms Rayner is believed to have struck a deal to support the Mayor as the next potential leader for the party in exchange for her return as his deputy.