Mancunians gathered in their droves outside Heron House, home to the new No10 North, to herald the arrival of Prime Minister Andy Burnham. “Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher… and Andy Burnham,” said Tom Drinkwater, a 36 year old senior video editor, born down the road in Didsbury.
Waiting in the crowd, hoping to see the main man, he added: “Burnham is a Mancunian legend. “He’s been a brilliant mayor for Manchester. The rest of the country is lucky to have him now too.” Despite a heavy police presence, people came to take selfies with the building. And what a building it is.
Heron House is slap bang in the centre of Manchester, with entrances onto Albert and Lincoln squares. It’s a 12 minute walk from the site of the Hacienda – the club where Mr Burnham enjoyed a boogie in his youth. Also home to the spies of intelligence service GCHQ, it’s one of the most bomb proof places in the country, with state-of-the-art security built directly into its glass walls and, rumour has it, only 25% of it built above ground.
Inside, it looks like a coffee shop in Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter, with plywood panelling and understated grey sofas. At Christmastime, the city’s famous giant Santa will look down on Mr Burnham from its spot atop the scaffolding-clad town hall nearby.
Dr Andrew Chimenya, a senior lecturer at the University of Greater Manchester, loves the new HQ. He told The Mirror: “You couldn’t get more central. It’s an exciting space to occupy. It’s in the hubbub, shops closeby, cafes and bars even closer. Those of us who grew up with Andy in the North West are so excited, and happy to have him here. This is not about one city, or region, but about the whole country.”
Jack Leonard, a politics student from Denton, said: “If he can bring power back to the North and share it around the country it can only be a good thing. It’s an exciting moment for the North.” The throng of people outside Heron House looked more like groupies waiting for a rock star than voters supporting their new PM.
Meanwhile, as the Cabinet discussed policy indoors, hip Mancunians sipped happy hour cocktails at a buzzing Slug and Lettuce right next door. And if Mr Burnham and his crew are feeling peckish, there’s a Greggs just a few steps away.
“It’s impressive that someone from the north is finally in power,” rejoiced local teenager Iris Burkitt, enjoying a day out with her mum, Emma, and brother, Amyas, as they tried to catch a glimpse of the PM.
Teacher Rosa Ahern added: “For a very long time, everyone has been talking about issues in the country – why everyone is so angry and why everyone feels left behind.
“Part of the reason is that everything happens in London. If you want to symbolically and realistically change people’s attitude towards the government, you have to make some sort of move to bring it away from London. That is what is happening here.”
