Andy Burnham has offered the current chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority the role of deputy chief of staff, leading the new No 10 North and Burnham’s much-touted regional devolution plans, if/when he becomes prime minister in July.
Caroline Simpson, a close ally during Burnham’s time as GM Mayor, will be based in Manchester and, according to The Guardian, work alongside cabinet ministers and senior civil servants in Whitehall, as well as the devolved regions and nations, to drive economic growth across the country.
Burnham has already appointed James Purnell, a former colleague from the Blair era, as his chief of staff as he finalises his prospective team for government. It is not yet dclear whether Simpson will be his only deputy.
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Simpson’s career, spent primarily in the North West of England, has seen her work in a variety of public sector roles across local government, housing and regional development agencies. She took over at GMCA in June 2024.
In a speech in Manchester yesterday, Burnham confirmed his plans for a “Number 10 North” as he seeks to end the concentration of power in Westminster and move to fix a “broken” political system.
The new office would seek to increase public ownership of essential utilities such as water, energy and housing, re-industrialise swathes of the country and regenerate regional towns that Burnham says have been left behind by a London-centric government.
Simpson began her career in the West Midlands, then spent eight years at Cheshire East Council leading the economies of Crewe, Macclesfield and surrounding towns.
Four years ago, she became chief executive of Stockport council, where she was credited with overseeing a £1bn investment in its revived town centre.
Since 2024, Simpson has overseen Greater Manchester’s £3bn-a-year budget, putting the (likely) incoming prime minister’s vision of “Manchesterism” into practice.
The Guardian quoted one senior official who has worked closely with Simpson describing her as “effective and very PR-minded, very slick.”
It’s not all good news though – Simpson’s departure would leave the Greater Manchester Combined Authority searching for its third chief executive in just over two years at the same time as close to three million voters choose the successor to Burnham in Manchester with the jury still out on whether the “Burnham bounce” will translate into votes at a second key byelection.
