30 million cars live in England. No local parliament answers for them. Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland? They’ve got theirs. Their own parliaments. Their own first ministers. England just gets Westminster. And London. Again.
Then there’s Andy. Andy Burnham. The King of the North, if you like nicknames. Or The Messiah of Manchester. He’s 56. Born at Aintree. Recently elected MP for Makerfield. Wants to be Prime Minister badly enough that he might just do it. Three weeks and we’ll know.
Here’s the kicker though.
He talks about equality. A cry for a more just Britain. Part of that pitch? Moving government out of the capital. Relocating power to Manchester. Imagine him refusing 10 Downing Street. Sitting instead at a fictional desk on Coronation Street. Is that crazy? Or just overdue? London’s had a long run. Even I get it now. The north has a case.
Nine years as mayor didn’t hurt him either. He didn’t treat drivers like criminals. No tolls. No bans. Just… roads. It’s refreshing really. Most politicians seem to hate petrol engines with a religious zeal. Andy isn’t one of them.
“The load should be spread more evenly.”
Fair enough. Too many state buildings crammed into one city. Spread them out. Give Manchester a slice of the pie. It works. He cares about his patch. Eight million car owners up there trust him. Maybe they’re right to.
But wait.
It’s not enough. Just having a pro-car guy in charge of the North? Doesn’t fix everything. England is bigger than Manchester. We need balance. A Sultan of the South East. Home to nearly nine million drivers. Don’t forget them. An Emperor of the East too. Another 3.6 million owners getting the short shrif. And the West? Dogged by bad roads for years. Needs a Warrior. The Midlands need a Monarch. Birmingham has been ignored long enough. Manchester is the number two city now. Andy helped build that. Deservedly. But the other regions are still waiting for their champion.
So. Burnham wins. Good for the North. But will anyone look after the rest? Or are they still invisible?
You tell me. 🚗
