Andy Burnham finally becomes Prime Minister, the first person born in Liverpool to do so since 1868… but will his elevation enable his close friend Steve Rotheram to secure backing for major Liverpool city region projects. Tony McDonough reports
As Andy Burnham enters Number 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister for the first time people across Liverpool city region are wondering “is this good news for us?”.
Mr Burnham, the newly-elected Labour MP for Makerfield went into Downing Street yesterday just a short time after Sir Keir Starmer, who won the General Election in 2024, departed after a tenure as PM that will be discussed for years to come.
But the question of whether or not Sir Keir will be judged as a success or a failure has been pushed to the side for the moment as the nation waits to see what kind of PM Mr Burnham, the first Liverpool-born premier since William Gladstone in 1868, will be.
A former Labour minister, Mr Burnham has spent the last decade of his career as Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester and has promised to bring his own brand of “Manchesterism” to the national stage.
Liverpool city region Mayor Steve Rotheram may be licking his lips. He is one of the new PM’s closest friends and political allies. He will be hoping Mr Burnham’s commitment to devolution will see more resources directed to Merseyside.
In his first speech outside Number 10, Mr Burnham immediately pledged to end rough sleeping across the UK, an issue he also championed in Greater Manchester.
“I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country,” he stated.
He also said he was “acutely conscious” he is the seventh PM since 2016, calling this a moment for “reflection and new resolution” and he said the country needed to regain stability.
Politicians have “not been good enough”, he added, promising the biggest changes in the last 40 years. He said: “Power will be taken out of Downing Street and into every postcode in the land.”
Mr Rotheram would perhaps not be as obvious as to walk into Number 10 straight away with a shopping list. But there are projects the Mayor believes could be transformative and need significant funding from Government.
There are grand plans for Liverpool Central station and the surrounding area which will cost £5bn. Mr Rotheram is seeking £2.5bn from the Government to start making the ambitious plans a reality.
Linked to this is the £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme which would see a high-speed line built between Liverpool and Manchester by 2045. Although the Government has given its support to this project this has yet to be backed up with hard cash.
Another ambition of Mr Rotheram is to take full control of the Merseyrail track, signalling, stations and land, currently under the control of Network Rail. This would coincide with Combined Authority taking control of Merseyrail services in 2028.
One major project, which perhaps has less chance of securing funding, is the proposed Mersey Tidal Power barrage across the River Mersey.
Water from the Mersey Estuary’s high tides would be released through turbines as the tide falls, generating power. It would have a capacity of up to 1GW and provide power to homes across the city region for 100 years.
However, the barrage has both financial and engineering challenges. It would likely cost at least £6bn and there is concern among the local maritime sector about the impact it would have on the 15,000 shipping movements in the Mersey each year.
Mr Rotheram certainly seems to believe a Burnham premiership will be good news for Liverpool city region. He said: “I’ve known Andy for many years and I’ve had the privilege of working alongside him both as a colleague and as a friend.
“I’ve seen first-hand his commitment to public service, his determination to stand up for the communities he represents and his belief that places like ours deserve a fairer deal
“There was a time when metro mayors were looked at as a bit of an experiment. Today one of them is about to become Prime Minister. I think that tells you something about how far devolution has come and how much further it still has to go.
“For those of us who spent years making the case that decisions are better when they are made closer to the people they affect, it’s a powerful reminder that leadership, talent and ambition don’t begin and end at Westminster.
“Andy has been one of the strongest champions of devolution this country has seen and whatever political views people hold, I think it’s fair to say that his journey from Keble Road in Aintree to Number 10 Downing Street is a remarkable one.”
As for Sir Keir, he left Number 10 on Monday with his head held high. In his final speech, he said: “My work is done. In six and a half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country, and won a landslide general election victory in 2024.
“Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime Minister. And I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.”