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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Andy Burnham

Westminster be warned – Britain’s future will be decided in the north. Get on the right side of that

Runners with the bridge arch in the background
Runners cross the Tyne Bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead during the Great North Run, 8 September 2024. Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Whenever the next general election comes, two things already seem clear: it will be unlike any we have experienced before, and it will be won or lost in the north of England. This is the new political reality of 2025.

We need to face up to it fully now and start preparing the ground for a campaign that won’t be a traditional choice from the lineup of the main parties but of two fundamentally different worldviews. The stakes are extraordinarily high.

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