Public divided on Andy Burnham plans to split time between London and Manchester

• 4 in 10 Britons (40%) state that the Government should not create another No.10 Prime Minister's office outside of London.
• Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) would most prefer a second "No.10" to be housed in Manchester, making it the most popular choice among alternative English cities.
• 45% believe Andy Burnham should be based in London if he becomes Prime Minister, though 35% say he should split his time with Manchester.

Number 10 North

• 45% of the public think Andy Burnham should be based in London when he become the next Prime Minister, while 35% believe he should split his time between London and Manchester.  5% say he should be based in Manchester.
• 52% of those in the North back Mr Burnham splitting time between the two (28% say he should be based in London). In every other region more people think he should be based in London than split his time between London and Manchester.
  • Midlands. Based in London 48% vs split his time 30%.
  • South. Based in London 53% vs split his time 28%.
  • London. Based in London 58% vs split his time 24%.
• 1 in 4 adults (24%) would most prefer a second "No. 10" office to be housed in Manchester if an English city outside London had to be selected, followed by 8% selecting Birmingham and 5% choosing Newcastle.
• 40% explicitly state they do not think the Government should create another No.10 office outside London at all. 

Where is best to live: London or Manchester?
When asked to choose 26% say Manchester is the best city to live in overall, 21%
choose London. 13% say both equally and 28% say neither. 12% don know.

• Around 1 in 2 people in the North (52%) believe Manchester is the best place to live overall, compared to just 7% of northerners who choose London.

• In stark contrast, 59% of Londoners state that London is the best place to live, while only 3% of capital residents pick Manchester. 

  

• When comparing the attributes of both cities, 57% of Britons believe Manchester offers the most manageable cost of living, compared to just 3% for London. Furthermore, 48% view Manchester as having friendlier people and 44% see it as having a stronger sense of community.
• London dominates heavily on economy and infrastructure, with 69% of the public choosing it for the best visitor attractions, 49% for a better transport network, 40% for better job opportunities, and 48% for having more successful people.

Commenting on the findings, Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at Ipsos in the UK said: 

These findings suggest Andy Burnham is going to have to carefully manage the presentation of how his time is spent as Prime Minister. A significant proportion of the public are sceptical of plans to split time between London and Manchester, with those outside the north of England more likely to say he should be based in London than split his time between the two.

Notes:

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,127 online British adults aged 18+. Polling was conducted online between 3–7 July 2026.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.