Andy Burnham’s Prospects for Constitutional Reform: Voting and Devolution

Speculation that Andy Burnham, former mayor of Greater Manchester, could become prime minister has revived calls for two long-standing reforms: replacing first-past-the-post with proportional representation in Westminster elections and extending devolution to English regions. Both proposals were central to Burnham’s mayoral platform but are absent from the 2024 Labour Party manifesto, leaving their legislative fate uncertain.

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Labour’s history includes major constitutional changes under Attlee and Blair, but the current government entered office in 2024 with a “thumping” majority and no pledge for PR or English devolution. Two years into a five-year term, the administration faces rising defence spending, strained public services, and a Treasury wary of ceding fiscal authority, factors that could push constitutional overhaul down the agenda.

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As mayor, Burnham championed devolution for Greater Manchester and publicly endorsed PR. In an interview with the Observer he declared, “I am committed to proportional representation… it would change the political culture.” The Economist reports that he wants councils to control social housing and education and to be legally barred from Westminster decisions without consent.

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Recent legislation merely converted hereditary peers into life peers, leaving the House of Lords largely unchanged and likely to scrutinise any PR or devolution bill. The Treasury guards fiscal powers, making the transfer of housing and education budgets to local authorities politically costly. Critics note the government lacks an electoral mandate for such reforms, given the manifesto’s silence and competing priorities such as defence spending.

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Burnham’s public commitment to PR and devolution contrasts with the 2024 Labour manifesto’s omission of both, creating uncertainty over parliamentary support. No timetable has been announced, and it remains unclear how many peers would back a PR measure in the Lords.

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• “I am committed to proportional representation. I think it would change the political culture. I don’t see how first past the post and the point-scoring inherent within it lifts Britain out of the doom loop it is in.” — Andy Burnham, Former Mayor

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• “This means that if any fundamental changes are opposed in the House of Lords, the government may not be able claim any electoral mandate to force them through.” — Prospect Magazine, editorial

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• “The reset of the current Labour government under Burnham faces immense international and economic challenges, with public services weak across the board.” — Prospect Magazine, editorial

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• “A desultory move was made at reform of the House of Lords—finally ridding the upper house of hereditary peers, as first promised in the 1911 Parliament Act—but that got bogged down and was almost forgotten.” — Prospect Magazine, editorial

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The Labour leadership contest, scheduled for late 2026, will determine whether Burnham becomes prime minister. If he assumes office, a private-member’s bill on PR and a devolution white paper could be introduced in the first session, but both will face Lords’ scrutiny and Treasury negotiation before any change can be enacted.

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