The Labour Party conference is reportedly preparing members for government in the future.
Alongside RMT boss Mick Lynch, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burham seems to be one of the main draws at this year's Labour Party conference. People flocked to a fringe event at Liverpool's Convention Centre this morning to hear the man dubbed the "King of the North" make a compelling speech about how the North West can help to guide Labour's vision on Levelling Up.
His opening gambit was very much reflective of the general mood at the party's annual showpiece event. He said: “It feels like this conference is preparing us to go back to government.” Mr Burnham's optimism has certainly been reflected in the polls, where Labour currently have their healthiest lead over the Tories since Sir Keir Starmer took the reins as leader.
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And should the party come to power, Mr Burham believes that Greater Manchester could offer a blueprint for what Levelling Up should look like nationally. He said: “Labour’s vision for Levelling Up is the same as Greater Manchester's.
"We set out a joint vision for a fairer, greener Greater Manchester and to have a net zero city region by 2038. To have a government come in behind us on that would be tremendously exciting. I think Greater Manchester in some ways is a laboratory for the country now."
Mr Burnham pointed to his decision to bring his region's buses back under public control, and how other areas, including the Liverpool City Region, are also looking to make that shift. Earlier this year, members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority gave their backing to proposals to adopt a franchise model that would put control of services, fares and timetables back in local hands.
Mr Burnham described how "when you control the system, you can control the pace of change" and noted that Greater Manchester's plan to make 1/3 of buses electric by 2027 will help to "bring in a whole range of benefits."
He also welcomed Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Lisa Nandy's announcement of Labour's plans to restore social housing as the second largest tenure in the UK, but urged that all housing should be net zero. Speaking on more power being devolved into the hands of local government, Mr Burnham said: " The government has got to get used to the North West answering back and telling them they’re not doing enough.”
The Mayor's unfavourable assessment of the central government was echoed by C hristian Wakeford, MP for Bury South, who said the Tories have left people with an "abject lack of hope" and facing one of "the darkest times" in recent years. He said: "Levelling up is about tackling health inequalities, education inequalities, regional inequalities.
"There’s a positive future coming from the likes of Lisa Nandy because we have a clear view of what we want to do and tackle these inequalities to make the nation more equal, greener and fairer."
Mr Wakeford explained how he has "one of the most deprived constituencies in Greater Manchester”, but the region's tram network and Mayor Burnham's decision to introduce a cap on bus fares has "opened up a meaningful job market" for his constituents.
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