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In The Room
Andy Burnham wants to be Britain’s least powerful PM
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Devolution – or devo-maxxing – was the order of the day in Andy Burnham’s most significant speech yet on how he would govern. In front of an eager press pack that scrambled up from London, the prime minister-in-waiting set out a bold agenda focused on devolving power, reforming Whitehall and reindustrialising Britain.
But devolution is a tune plenty of leaders have played before. Tony Blair turbo-charged it after 1997, George Osborne promised a Northern Powerhouse, and Boris Johnson made plenty of noise about levelling up. Still, Britain remains top-heavy, with power and wealth concentrated in London. The UK also sends a far greater share of tax revenue to central government than almost all other major economies.
So is now the right time to devo-maxx? And is Burnham the right man to do it?
Executive Producer: Rod Ardehali
Producer: Sam Durham
Video Editor: Vali Raza
Find the best clips from the podcast and more from Helen and Cleo on the show's Instagram page here.
Email your questions to Helen and Cleo on intheroom@independent.co.uk.
This podcast is part of The Independent Podcast Network and is produced in association with Next Chapter Studios.
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