The bridesmaids who turned up for a 10.30am wedding ceremony in Manchester city centre found themselves dealing with an unusual big day curveball.
An uninvited guest in the shape of Andy Burnham was threatening to upstage the bride.
The new Prime Minister was due to open Number 10 North in Heron House, an office building in Manchester which also happens to host the city’s registry office on the ground floor.
Weddings were going ahead as normal despite the VIP visitor in the building.
“What time is he coming?” a confused bridesmaid inquired with The i Paper as she manoeuvred her way around a scrum of armed police officers, photographers and a crowd of onlookers.
Upon hearing that Burnham’s arrival was imminent she laughed and shouted back: “Tell Andy he’s welcome to join us!”
Burnham’s first day working in Number 10 North was a jovial affair all round.
A bride and bridesmaids arrive for a wedding as Police officers stand outside Heron House (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)His First Secretary of State, Louise Haigh, arrived first, jumping out of a taxi and walking in the front entrance of Heron House. Chancellor John Healey was among other members of Burnham’s top team to join them.
Burnham himself was driven in via a side entrance amid heavy security, having been flown down to Manchester from a visit to Glasgow for the opening of the Commonwealth Games the night before.
Only a select few were permitted inside, but The i Paper understands entering No 10 North requires visitors to go through airport-style security before entering a lift to one of the upper floors.
Once the lift doors open, there is an atrium into the office space that is already being used by intelligence agency GCHQ.
However, a rapid makeover has taken place with a new ’10 North’ branding in place over the walls.
But as Burnham hopes his new Manchester base becomes synonymous with a new way of doing government, it hasn’t quite made a clean break from Westminster.
An imposing replica of the 10 Downing Street door was among the first sites to greet staff in the middle of the refurbished office.
Burnham greets Chancellor John Healey as he officially opens No10 North at Heron House (Photo: James Speakman – WPA Pool/Getty Images)The i Paper understands it is an art installation which was built for the ‘Great Britain’ heritage campaign to promote British business and has now been resurrected.
Burnham joked that people might believe it was the real thing and “we’ve brought it up from London” before posing for photos.
Whether having a fake door with nothing behind it is the best symbolism for Number 10 North remains to be seen.
Burnham was greeted by dozens of beaming Downing Street staff, however, including new Director General Sam Lister, one of the many civil servants who has already been seconded from London.
The new seat of government will do no harm to Manchester’s already buoyant property market with the Cabinet Office recruiting for a slew of positions based in the city, such as ‘Lead Social Producer’ which commands a salary of up to £68,558.
There was a heavy police presence for the arrival of Andy Burnham in the Manchester city centre office (Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)Conservative MP Andrew Snowden suggested this means No 10 North will be no more than a “government funded influencer account for Burnham”.
In his speech to staff, Burnham dismissed such sniping from “London-based” critics, insisting that Heron House is “not just a new office”.
Burnham told staff congregated in the office upon his arrival that the idea of No 10 North is “much more profound, I think, than people have worked out so far” and that it will be the place were “power” and “energy” flows out to Britain’s regions.
He added: “Opportunity has not been evenly spread around the country and not all places have felt that they’re part of the national story and that is what this government is going to work every single day to change, and that is what No 10 North is all about.”
Andy Burnham holds a National Economic Council meeting at No 10 North at Heron House (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Reuters)Such was his energy for the moment, Burnham even told staff this was the “best day of my life”.
The business purpose of the day was a meeting of the National Economic Council, a body originally set up by Gordon Brown to deal with the fallout of the 2008 financial crash.
It gave Burnham the opportunity to convene English regional mayors including Steve Rotheram (Labour, Liverpool City Region), Tracy Brabin (Labour, West Yorkshire) and Dame Andrea Jenkyns (Reform, Greater Lincolnshire).
The committee is “here for you, to empower you”, Burnham said.
He added: “More than that, empower the people that you represent, the places where they live, to make it feel as though we’re all part of a national story where everyone is pulling in the same direction, and we’re all beginning to feel positive change in our communities.”
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