Central News Agency (Taipei, June 29, 2024, CNA/Reuters) Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become the next British Prime Minister, delivered a keynote speech today, pledging to bring about "an unprecedented large-scale rebalancing of power" if he takes office, devolving more central government authority to local leaders. According to AFP, Burnham, who stepped down as Mayor of Greater Manchester earlier this month after being elected to Parliament, is a senior Labour Party figure who has served twice as a cabinet minister. He is currently the only candidate vying to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader and Prime Minister. Starmer announced his resignation on June 22. Speaking at a museum in Manchester today, Burnham stated, "I will provide the stopgap mechanism that Britain needs." He described Britain as "one of the most over-centralized countries in the world" and pledged to "hand power back to the people and places that can make the best use of it." Burnham said, "We need a new resolve to raise the living standards of everyone in this land. And we must accept (the fact that) to achieve this, to solve the country's economic and national problems, we need to reform politics, and we need to act now." Burnham proposed the establishment of a "No. 10 North" unit to coordinate the devolution of power, a name modeled after the British Prime Minister's office, "10 Downing Street." He said, "We will create a more streamlined country, with a clearer purpose, to get every part of the country moving and laser-focused on growth and regeneration." He stated that this transformation would be driven by the Prime Minister's office, with large-scale operations based in Manchester. Burnham pledged that the "No. 10 North" office would oversee the largest program of public housing construction by local government in Britain since the end of World War II, though he did not specify the source of funding. Britain is facing tight public finances. In his speech, Burnham vowed to maintain fi