Andy Burnham has urged the new Prime Minister to commit early and “move really quickly” on the Northern Powerhouse.
Following on from the Labour party and Sir Keir Starmer‘s historic landslide victory at the 2024 General Election last week, bringing to an end 14 years of Conservative rule, Andy Burnham has called on the new Prime Minister to show his commitment to the North by delivering on the Northern Powerhouse scheme “really quickly”.
The Greater Manchester Mayor said during a BBC interview this past weekend that he believed Labour‘s election win could lead to a “great era for the English cities and regions”.
One of the ways the Labour Mayor, and former Labour MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017, highlighted that the new Labour Government could usher in this “great era” would be to look pick up where the Tories left off on the proposal for an extra rail line between Liverpool and Manchester – which was formerly announced back in May to improve the region’s economy and connections.
Rail journeys between the two North West cities currently vary between 40 minutes and an hour, but the new proposed ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail’ link would look to reduce this to 10-15 minutes, so travellers can simply “turn up and go”.
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“Deliver what the Tories said they would do, but never did,” Mr Burnham urged the new Prime Minister during his interview with Laura Kuenssberg.
Speaking on the former BBC Political Correspondant’s current Sunday programme, Mr Burnham told Ms Kuessberg that he feels if the Prime Minister and his new Cabinet of ministers were to commit early to the Northern Powerhouse, then this could work to “lay the foundations for a second Labour term.
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“I will say to Keir… commit early to the Northern Powerhouse”
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says the government should back his plan for how to build a new Manchester-Liverpool railway and that he wants to work with them to build more homes#BBCLauraKhttps://t.co/4UbQQl3ahnpic.twitter.com/PIabfH0t5J
He added: “If people in the North of England see change come through in a Parliament, they will stick with this Government for the long haul”.
The Greater Manchester Mayor described the new Government as a “really exciting moment”.
“We now have the chance, after lots of turbulence in recent times, to have a serious Government focused on growth and delivery, without all of the psychodramas of the past Tory years,” Mr Burnham concluded.
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As well as calling for a commitment to delivering the Northern Powerhouse rail link, Mr Burnham also declared during his BBC interview that he wants to work with the new Labour Government to build 1.5 million new homes in Greater Manchester.
He also discussed the need to address rising poverty across the North West region.
Featured Image – Sky News
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Tributes paid to ‘much-loved’ Manchester firefighter who died unexpectedly last week
Emily Sergeant
Tributes have been paid to a ‘much-loved’ Manchester firefighter who died unexpectedly at his home last week.
Francois Childs, who was better known as ‘Frankie’ to his friends and family, served on Green Watch at Broughton Community Fire Station in Salford, where he had been based since joining Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) in January 2018.
Frankie joined GMFRS following a career in banking, and serving with the machine gun platoon of the Bury Fusiliers.
But the 44-year-old sadly passed away “suddenly and unexpectedly” at his home in Prestwich last Tuesday (3 September).
The former Army reservist leaves behind wife Sarah, two children, his parents, and three brothers.
We send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Firefighter Francois ‘Frankie’ Childs, who passed away suddenly yesterday.
Frankie, 44, had been a much-loved member of Green Watch at Broughton fire station for more than six years.
— Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) September 6, 2024
As well as being a dedicated GMFRS firefighter, Frankie was also one of 12 Fire Brigade Union (FBU) members who volunteered their time to travel to France to support the Care 4 Calais Charity back in November of 2023.
Paying tribute to Frankie following his sad passing, Sarah Nattrass, who is the Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Director of Service Delivery at GMFRS, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the sudden death of one of our colleagues and share our heartfelt condolences with Frankie’s family, friends, and colleagues.
“Frankie was part of our GMFRS family for more than six years as a much-loved member of Green Watch, Broughton, and he will be very sadly missed by all his friends and colleagues.”
The FBU has also paid a touching tribute.
“The charity could not provide this support without dedicated and caring people like Frankie,” an FBU spokesperson said.
“His support will not be forgotten by the FBU or by the many people his efforts undoubtedly helped contributed to making refugees lives better.”
Featured Image – GMFRS
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US rapper Ice Spice to play massive Manchester show next month on her Y2K World Tour
Thomas Melia
Things are about to get a whole lot chillier in Manchester next month, as Ice Spice is set for a massive show in our city.
Fresh off-the-back of headlining Wireless Festival in July, the princess of rap is coming back to the UK next month, and will be bringing the world of Y2K to Manchester, taking over one of the city’s most iconic venues.
Ice Spice, who is most notable for her heavy-hitting beats and collaborations with acts like Nicki Minaj and PinkPantheress, will be arriving in Manchester in a couple of weeks time for the first of three UK dates on her world tour.
After stopping off in Manchester, the rapper will also performing in Birmingham and London in November, so us Mancs need to set the bar high first.
The 24-year-old only came onto the rap scene three years ago, and since then has seen herself become a social media music phenomenon – with each drop gaining more traction than the last.
Her recent single ‘Did It First’ features UK drill artist Central Cee, who joined her on stage at Wireless Festival as part of her headlining slot this July, where she wowed a crowd of 50,000.
‘Y2K’ is the name of the rapper’s debut album, not to be confused with the early noughties fashion resurgence of the same name. However, the real meaning behind the project’s name is due to the American star being born on 1 January 2000.
She may only be 5ft 3, but Ice Spice sure packs a punch, and if it’s not her fiery orange hair, then it’s her carefree stage presence that sets her apart from the rest.
O2 Victoria Warehouse has been a hotspot for many artists including Mabel, Aitch and Becky Hill since its rebrand in 2018, and now the 3,500 capacity venue will be housing The Bronx native Ice Spice on Wednesday 30 October.
Tickets are now on sale, with a general admission ticket setting you back £58.35, but there’s also the option to purchase a meet and greet package for £216.35.