Former West Midlands mayor Sir Andy Street has described new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's years as Greater Manchester mayor as 'perfect training' for his new role, while revealing the pair collaborated closely despite their political differences.
Speaking at the Connections for Prosperity annual conference hosted by the Centre for The New Midlands, Street told an audience of 250 business leaders and decision makers that he and Burnham—known as 'the two Andys'—worked together on devolution, HS2, and securing more funding from Westminster during their seven years as elected metro mayors.
Collaboration Across Party Lines
Street, who lost his role to Labour's Richard Parker in 2024, said the pair 'put politics aside' to focus on regional priorities. 'We had a shared view to put politics aside. Doing this job (of mayor) was Place first, not Politics. He was a good colleague in that respect,' Street said.
They jointly pressed for the full HS2 line and, after then-PM Rishi Sunak scaled back the project, worked on an alternative cheaper plan to improve connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester, warning that 'to do nothing is not an option'.
Mayoral Experience as Preparation
Street argued that being a mayor provides ideal preparation for the premiership. 'There are some things about being mayor that are perfect training for going into Government. You have to get stuff done, you have to deliver, you have to drive the executive forward,' he said.
However, he noted stark differences: 'Being mayor is a tiny, tiny job in comparison (to being Prime Minister) in terms of responsibilities. We never had to worry about what Trump was going to do in Iran or negotiate tariffs.' He expressed hope that Burnham's transition team had 'really thought about that journey'.
No Contact Since Election Loss
Despite their past collaboration, Street admitted he had not kept in touch with Burnham since losing the mayoralty, nor congratulated him on becoming Prime Minister. 'No,' he said firmly when asked if they had been in contact.
Devolution and Fiscal Autonomy
Street praised Burnham's commitment to devolution, noting a speech in Manchester where Burnham advocated for decisions to be made closer to communities. 'The next big job (for him) is fiscal devolution,' Street said. 'The weakness of the (mayoralty) model is that we had a lot of money but it was all agreed by London.'
He called for regions to keep 2.5 per cent of income tax locally, alongside stamp duty, vehicle excise duty, and air passenger duty. 'Once we make that move you have an income line guaranteed for the future and can plan and make sure all your activities on housing, skills, transport, come together in a strategic way. You are not having to wait for a civil servant in London to decide if a roundabout in Wolverhampton is going to be built or not,' he added.
Prosper UK and Centre-Right Future
Street now co-chairs Prosper UK, a political movement with 25,000 members aiming to build a centre-right government. The group recently launched devolution proposals and rejects 'the divisive messages of Reform'. Street said the movement seeks a return to 'the mould of Michael Heseltine, Ken Clarke, John Major, Theresa May'.
