Manchester Mandate: 90 Labour MPs Demand Industrial Overhaul

More than 90 Labour backbench MPs issued a warning on Sunday that Andy Burnham's plan to rebuild Britain's industrial base will fail unless the strategy is directed from his Manchester office, No 10 North. The group argues that the government currently lacks the detailed knowledge of industry required to execute a major reindustrialisation effort.

Burnham has positioned the restoration of UK industrial capacity as the core of his campaign promise of good growth in every postcode. Chancellor John Healey reinforced this goal at the Labour conference last month, where he pledged a new age of industrialisation. Healey is scheduled to deliver his first budget statement on Wednesday.

A briefing paper from the backbench group states that decades of deregulation and deindustrialisation have eroded state capacity. The document claims the state has become less knowledgeable about the economy and businesses, resulting in a loss of planning ability and slower decision-making. The MPs describe this shift as a worrying set of behaviors that will inhibit progress.

The group wants Burnham to pass a Reindustrialisation Act. This legislation would set specific targets for job creation through manufacturing and hold ministers accountable for meeting them. The paper argues that without comprehensive planning, the goal remains out of reach.

The MPs are urging the prime minister to assign oversight of the effort to First Secretary Louise Haigh. They recommend that the work be based at No 10 North, the Manchester outpost Burnham established in July. The group also proposes converting the National Wealth Fund into a Reindustrialisation Development Corporation. This body would focus its capital on rebuilding UK industry rather than investing broadly.

Andy MacNae, MP for Rossendale and Darwen and chair of the group, cited an inertia within the civil service that favors growth policies for already successful cities. He argued that reindustrialisation must deliver jobs to areas that need them most and produce goods that ensure national resilience. MacNae pointed to the recent nationalisation of British Steel as a relevant policy step. Steve Yemm, MP for Mansfield, stated that Whitehall officials still treat industrial policy as dangerous nostalgia. Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, noted that Whitehall does not fix problems unless instructed to do so.

The Labour industrial strategy published under Keir Starmer identified eight sectors for growth, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and defence. Healey, who spoke at the conference alongside an apprentice who built a Mersey ferry, said the party would drive growth through good work and jobs.