Andy Burnham takes swipe at 'London-based voices' on first day in No10 North HQ to push devolution revolution

Andy Burnham spent his first day in the new No10 North on Friday as his stepped up his landmark devolution reforms.Chancellor John Healey, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and senior Cabinet Office minister Louise Haigh were among the ministers who attended a National Economic Council meeting which also included mayors and business chiefs.Prime Minister Andy Burnham (centre) during a National Economic Council meeting at No10 North, located in Heron House, central ManchesterGettyTrumpeting his reforms, the new Prime Minister stressed that “opportunity has not been evenly spread around the country and not all places have felt that they're part of the national story”.He added: “That is what this Government is going to work every single day to change, and that is what No10 North is all about: putting power in every postcode so that people can turn things around for themselves and make changes just as this great city has done and the other English cities are doing through devolution.“No10 North is as much for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as it is for the regions of England,” he explained further while not making clear if he counted London as an English region.Andy Burnham sits next to Chancellor John Healey (R) as he holds a National Economic Council meetingGettyHe concluded: “I just want to finish on this point. There'll be many voices out there. I can hear them all already, often London-based...they like to say, oh, this will just be another, the new Levelling Up or another sort of short-lived gimmick.”Rejecting criticism of the cost of having two centres of Government, he stressed that civil servants from Manchester have had for years to travel down to London for meetings.“So actually, isn't it better that we have a North Pole that balances the South Pole of our country, where power will always be concentrated, but at least it creates that sense of a more balanced country,” he added.Responding to the government shake-up, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed No10 North as a "gimmick".She stressed: “It does not make decision-making any better, it's just creating another branch of the civil service in a different place". Read MoreHousing Secretary Angela Rayner listens as Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks during a National Economic Council meeting at No10 NorthPAShe ruled out rent controls despite Mr Burnham saying just days ago that the Government would consider a rent freeze as part of moves to reduce the cost of living.Her stance was criticised by Green Party leader Zack Polanski and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.