Andy Burnham Overhauls Whitehall, Creating “No 10 North” as New Economic Engine

In a written ministerial statement to the House of Lords, newly elected Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled a sweeping reorganisation of central government. The plan consolidates parts of the Cabinet Office, Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government into a new Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which will oversee the existing No 10 operation in London and a forthcoming “No 10 North” hub in Manchester. The restructuring also creates a new agency, OneGov, to handle core HR functions for the civil service.

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• The Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet will be led by Louise Haigh, tasked with integrating local growth and devolution teams transferred from the Treasury and housing ministry.

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• OneGov, under Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo, will assume responsibilities for pensions, recruitment and security vetting.

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• Several specialist units are being reassigned: the Equality Office moves to the housing ministry; Digital ID to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; the Public Sector Fraud Authority to the Department for Work and Pensions; and the Investment Security Unit to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

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• The Department for Science, Technology and Innovation is abolished, with its functions returning to the business and culture departments.

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• Responsibility for artificial intelligence is placed within the new Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with Kanishka Narayan appointed as minister for AI and given a cabinet seat.

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• Andy Burnham – Prime Minister, architect of the restructuring.

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• Louise Haigh – Ally and enforcer, appointed head of the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

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• Antonia Romeo – Cabinet Secretary, overseer of the new OneGov agency.

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• Angela Smith – Leader of the House of Lords, described the changes as a fundamental rewiring of the state.

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• Kanishka Narayan – New minister for artificial intelligence, seated in the cabinet.

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Angela Smith echoed this sentiment, saying the reforms “fundamentally rewiring the state” to create a “stronger, more strategic centre” that empowers local leaders.

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• “This ensures that local economic growth policy and regional empowerment are no longer isolated from one another, establishing No 10 North as the dominant driver of the UK’s economy.” — the government

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