Within days of becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham hadn’t just appointed ministers and unveiled new priorities. He had unveiled a new northern brand.
In the process, he also introduced the rest of the UK to his approachable, social-first style of politics that those in Manchester have seen during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Operating from Heron House, home to GCHQ’s North West operations since 2019, No 10 North has quickly become one of Britain’s most talked about brands, with a mission to “get power out of Westminster and into the hands of people at a local level”.
READ MORE: Andy Burnham is Prime Minister – is Britain finally shifting north?
While some have dismissed the government’s northern headquarters as little more than a gimmick, others, including Manchester Mill editor Joshi Herrmann, have argued that even if it is one, “it’s our gimmick”.
And from polished social videos and creator collaborations to carefully choreographed policy announcements, Burnham’s communications strategy has been difficult to ignore.
But according to industry leaders working PR, branding and comms across the region, launching No 10 North was always going to be the easy part.
The real challenge now is proving it is more than an extension of Andy Burnham’s personal brand and making sure it represents the whole of the North and beyond rather than just Manchester.
Whether Burnham can pull that off has become a fascinating question. For Josh Wheeler, founder of PR agency Be Broadcast, he likes the No 10 North brand. And its success starts with the symbolism behind the name itself.
“No.10 is one of the most recognisable symbols of power in the world, but growing up it always felt like it belonged to London. Realistically it never should have. Seeing that identity rooted somewhere else is genuinely exciting,” he says.
“I also think about what it means for the next generation. If you’re a kid growing up in Manchester, Leeds or Newcastle, seeing a place called No.10 North changes your perception of where power sits. It tells you the country’s biggest decisions don’t have to happen hundreds of miles away.”
Manchester-based Jen Lau, founder of Firebolt Communications, believes the strategy has already landed because Burnham spent years building a personal brand as the former mayor of Greater Manchester .
“We always talk about how in Manchester we do things differently, and Andy Burnham has fully embraced that with No 10 North. The success of his communications shows the value of building a reputation before you build a campaign around it. He’s spent years building a clear identity and consistently championing the North, so No 10 North feels like a natural next step rather than a rebrand.”
Lau says that’s also why Burnham’s increasing use of creators and social media feels authentic rather than performative.
“It builds on a personal brand people already recognise and trust, which is what makes it so effective.”
From a communications perspective, she says this is also a positive move for Manchester’s profile.
“There will inevitably be debate around the city’s growth and the challenges that come with it, but putting Manchester on a bigger stage helps strengthen its reputation as a place to live, work, invest and innovate. It also shifts the conversation beyond London, giving the North greater visibility and creating more opportunities for businesses to grow and tell their stories on a national and international stage.”
The launch has also been welcomed by businesses based at Heron House itself. David Taylor, founder of cybersecurity firm Aruga Cyber, says No 10 North opening its doors is “exciting” and another sign of Manchester’s growing influence as a centre for tech businesses.
“It reinforces what many of us have known for years: world-class businesses don’t have to be based in London to make an impact.
“Manchester has always had brilliant talent and great businesses. My hope is that this encourages more investment into the region, supports the companies already doing incredible work here and gives more businesses the confidence to choose Manchester as the place to grow.”
“The challenge is proving this isn’t the Andy Burnham show’
Emma Streets, founder and director of Leeds-based reputation management and crisis communications consultancy Streets PR, believes the No 10 brand strategy so far has “read the room”.
“I think the speed with which it’s been created is impressive, the premises look great on camera, and the strategy has read the room for right now. In terms of risk though, it’s fraught and the question is if it can pop up this fast, how fast can it also disappear again?
“We’re a world-weary, cynical bunch when it comes to politics by now in the UK (unless it’s just me,) so as much as the sentiment resonates with many, the authenticity has yet to be proven and will take time.”
Josh Wheeler believes one of the smartest decisions was branding it No 10 North rather than No 10 Manchester, “immediately” positioning it as something bigger than one city.
“Of course, branding only gets you so far. If people don’t see decisions being made there, investment flowing through it and ministers actually working from it, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. From what we’ve seen so far though, it looks like they’ve thought about that. Departments are already moving in and it feels like an operation rather than a photo opportunity.”
Emma Streets agrees that branding is a “natural step” for a comms savvy leader, but warns it needs to go beyond Burnham’s personal brand to establish credibility too.
“I wouldn’t have expected anything less. As with any political campaign, it’ll be divisive and some people just won’t get on board. The challenge is proving this isn’t the Andy Burnham Show and demonstrating through policy and action what the priorities are.”
She adds the “key” to making No 10 North authentic and inclusive is to avoid that phrase we’ve been hearing a lot lately – Manchesterism.
“I say this as a Brummie living in Yorkshire and working between Leeds, Manchester and London who discovered quickly that ‘the North’ is a huge place. The messaging about the practicalities of avoiding costly travel and inefficiencies landed well and resonates with many people, so the team needs to show the practical benefits and reasons to believe more than selling the dream for non-northerners to appreciate it.”
Josh Wheeler agrees, arguing that the success of No 10 North will ultimately depend on whether people across the country genuinely feel represented by it.
“The biggest mistake would be allowing people to think this is really No 10 Manchester.
“The metro mayors have a huge role to play. If local media across the country regularly shows their mayor walking through the doors of No.10 North to discuss transport, housing or investment, people quickly understand this belongs to the whole country.
“They need to be supported across media platforms at No.10 North – i.e. a Conservative Mayor at No.10 North talking about XYZ in the area is good for the overall brand.”
He also says if world leaders, investors and major businesses are meeting there, it “reinforces the idea that serious decisions happen outside Westminster too”.
Ultimately, Wheeler believes success will be measured not by how much people talk about the brand, but by how quickly they stop noticing it altogether.
“They’ll simply accept that this is where government works. That’s when you know a brand has done its job.”
“Standing around waiting isn’t the northern thing to do”
For Dan Appleby, Managing Director at Newcastle-based independent creative agency Drummond Central, much of the early criticism has focused on the wrong things. Instead of debating logos, he believes the more important question is whether No 10 North can build the substance needed to justify the brand.
“The naysayers got there first, as they always do. Does he know the North isn’t just Manchester? Who designed it? Were they northern? What’s with the O? What did it cost? Predictable. And mostly beside the point.
“Within days, a claim was circulating that the logo cost half a million quid. Nobody has sourced that claim, but it travelled anyway. Because that’s exactly what happens when a brand launches faster than its story.”
For him, that’s the real risk for any brand – the “vacuum”.
“A brand is more than a logo. Everyone in our industry says it until they’re sick of hearing it. For No.10 North it matters more than usual, because there’s nothing else to go on yet. No proposition. No defined audience. No published roadmap. No substance. No story. A name, a mark and a building,” he explains.
Until that changes, he argues people inevitably create their own narrative.
“All of us fill the gaps with our own assumptions. Mine. The critics’. Westminster’s. Reform’s. Ultimately voters’. And in politics, the people filling a vacuum are rarely the ones who want you to succeed.
“So the questions are obvious. What’s it for? Who’s it for, because no brand can be for everyone and this one certainly can’t? What’s measurably different in three years? How will change be delivered? Answer those and the slanty O stops mattering to anyone.”
But Appleby believes there is a genuine opportunity for businesses, organisations and communities across the North to shape what No 10 North becomes.
“Standing around waiting isn’t the northern thing to do. Nobody has ever handed us anything and we’ve never really trusted or expected them to. Everything worth having up here was built, taken or argued for.
“And there is something real to turn up to. A functioning arm of the Prime Minister’s office, about 160 miles from Westminster, with devolution and local growth policy prised out of London.
“Brands aren’t owned by the people who launch them. So let’s start owning this ourselves. Show up. Take the meetings. Challenge them. Put our sector in front of people who aren’t three hours away any more.
“Make it impossible to write a strategy that says Manchester eleven times and Middlesbrough once.
“We’ve had levelling up. We’ve had a powerhouse. We’ve earned the right to demand substance. We’ve also got a pretty good track record of building it ourselves.”
“Action is the important bit”
Beyond the branding of No 10 North itself, Burnham’s first week in office has also offered an insight into how he intends to communicate as Prime Minister, as the new government has wasted little time advertising senior social media and content roles across both Manchester and London.
For Josh Wheeler, that reflects a recognition that the communications landscape has fundamentally changed.
“From what I have seen he is getting the balance right – not appearing as ‘Mr Popular’ on TikTok and hiding from accountability on TV for example.
“Government isn’t a lifestyle brand – and I don’t want it to become one. The Prime Minister doesn’t need to be jumping on trends or trying to go viral every week. People expect a level of authority.
“Where I think they’re getting it right so far is that the communication follows the action. The bus lady TikToker with Burnham? Just a little bit of magic to go alongside the announcement which will help people. Not cringe, not chasing a moment – just done well.
“But the action is the important bit.”
He says the new government’s approach to announcements are “being explained clearly” and those videos feel “natural” as Burnham comes across as himself.
“There’s another audience governments have to think about now as well. It’s no longer just newspapers and broadcasters. It’s social media, and increasingly it’s AI. Millions of people are now asking ChatGPT or Google AI to explain government policy instead of searching for a news article. Clear, consistent communication helps in all of those places,” he explains.
“The real test won’t come during the honeymoon period. It will come when difficult decisions have to be made, when something goes wrong or when events outside government take over. Those are the moments where communications either build trust or destroy it.”
