Andy Burnham says opening No10 North is ‘best day of my life’ – after jetting to Manchester on government plane

ANDY Burnham has said that opening No10 North is the “best day of my life” – after flying there on the government jet. The PM worked from his new Manchester outpost yesterday and hailed it as the “nerve centre” for driving devolution. Andy Burnham arrives at No10 North with John Healey and Louise Haigh Credit: PA Police guarding the entrance of Heron House Credit: Reuters Gun cops formed a perimeter around the repurposed Heron House in the city centre where the Labour leader was mayor for nine years. Addressing staff, the married dad-of-three said: “I cannot tell you what a proud moment this is. I think this might be the best day of my life. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! “I’m not joking. I know you think I am, but I’m not. Things are just completely coming full circle here, for me to be here with you all in the heart of Manchester this Friday morning at the end of a fairly big week is just everything to me.” After becoming PM on Monday, Mr Burnham has unveiled a flurry of cost-of-living measures including scrapping VAT from energy bills, capping bus fares at £2 and tax breaks for pubs. But all three have been engulfed into rows over a lack of cash to fund them leading to muddled messaging from ministers. Mr Burnham also dismissed criticism that No10 North was a gimmick and insisted this this was the “North Pole” to counterbalance the Downing Street “South Pole”. He also preempted concerns about the cost to taxpayers of opening the new office and transporting ministers between London and Manchester. Mr Burnham flew from Glasgow, where he was attending the Commonwealth Games, to Manchester on the government’s charter plane, according to the Guido Fawkes blog. Most read in The Sun Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “It’s all very well opening No10 North, but what’s actually changing in people’s lives? Unless Burnham fixes the fundamentals it will become a gimmick the public see straight through. “So far we’ve had three unfunded announcements in as many days. Burnham’s blagging it without a plan and it’s going to end up with him raising taxes yet again.” Mr Burnham has vowed to treat Britain’s low-growth economy as an “emergency” on par with the financial crash. The PM is resurrecting the National Economic Council first launched by Gordon Brown to respond to the 2008 crisis. 1 comment1