The pandemic has shone a brutal spotlight on where the places of real need are – and they are largely in the north of England
- Andy Burnham is the mayor of Greater Manchester
When Boris Johnson addresses his party faithful today, I would be happy if he did no more than repeat the promises that he made the last time he gave a major speech in Manchester.
That was just over two years ago, in front of the evocative backdrop of Stephenson’s Rocket, and it came just days after he had entered Downing Street. To be honest, I could have written much of it myself. In the context of today’s confusion over what “levelling up” means, his words are well worth revisiting.
Andy Burnham is the mayor of Greater Manchester. He served as the Labour MP for Leigh from 2001 until 2017