Andy Burnham wants MANCHESTER to have seat at Brexit with 'EQUAL FOOTING' to rest of UK
GREATER Manchester’s mayor has accused the Government of ignoring regional concerns over Brexit, demanding England’s regions get a “permanent seat at the negotiating table”.
Burnham: All regions should have seat at Brexit negotiating table
Andy Burnham, a former Labour minister, claims local and regional leaders want “equal footing” with those of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the UK’s overseas territories.
In a keynote speech at the Local Government Association, Mr Burnham said: “Brexit has major implications for Greater Manchester and the rest of the English regions.
“We must ensure that our interests are heard and protected.
“If the Government fails to listen to our concerns it will raise fears that we are heading towards a London-centric Brexit dominated by the City of London and the financial services industry."
Mayor Andy Burnham wants the regions to have as much say in Brexit talks as LondoN
He added: “It cannot be right that Britain’s overseas territories, such as the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, have a permanent seat at the Brexit table whilst we are denied one.
“Greater Manchester is ready to play our part and make a constructive contribution to the process of leaving the European Union.”
For reference, the population of the Cayman Islands is less than 60,000 - smaller than the Isle of Wight - while Greater Manchester’s stands at around 2.8 million.
Andy Burnham accused the government of ignoring regional concerns
English regions, such as Greater Manchester, currently have no formal arrangements in place for discussing Britain’s Brexit strategy with Theresa May’s Government.
Brexit secretary David Davis had pledged to holding a meeting for regional leaders in York after the mayoral elections in May - however two months on, Mr Burnham claims no such meeting has been called.
In a letter to Mr Davis, Mr Burnham has called for the establishment of a new Government cabinet committee, comprising of the recently-elected “metro mayors” of six city regions including Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the West Midlands.
The letter also addresses three points outlined as critical to Greater Manchester in the post-Brexit landscape.
The first is the the formation of a place-based national industrial strategy, the second focuses on the expansion of Manchester Airport, and the third calls for the Government to ensure the UK has access to its €39billion European Investment Bank capital.
David Davis had pledged to holding a meeting for regional leaders
Manchester City Council leader and Deputy Mayor Sir Richard Leese added: “We need to ensure that our interests are protected, from our world-class academic university research facilities, to our manufacturing industries, our creative sector, and our voluntary and community sectors.
“We also need to send out the message that we are still an outward-looking international city where people of different backgrounds, including the European citizens who have based themselves here, feel welcome. Greater Manchester’s relationship with Europe is necessary for the success, not just of our region, but for the whole of the UK.”