Groundworks started on the site in Ancoats last month. The government previously said it would be a workplace for around “8,800 people from many government departments with a focus on digital delivery.”
Burnham did not set a timeline for the creation of “No. 10 North” or discuss how many people it might involve. However, he has said it will be tasked with reforming the service sector, regenerating and re-industrializing Britain, and centralizing many of the powers held elsewhere in Whitehall.
In the wide-ranging interview, Burnham also said the whipping system in Westminster should not be used to “punish” MPs and said he would be willing to work with opposition parties to tackle the issue of gangs, many of them in northern cities, grooming and sexually assaulting young women.
Burnham has been accused of avoiding scrutiny after going weeks without giving lengthy interviews. Even on Thursday, he was far from clearing all questions.
Asked if he would take a public holiday if England’s soccer team won the World Cup, Burnham was coy, noting it would be premature given Monday’s tough match against Mexico.
“We just won … we struggled, let’s say,” he said, a day after England stayed in the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo thanks to team captain Harry Kane. “I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves.”
