Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central and West summed up her reasons for supporting Andy Burnham stating:
“To put it bluntly, Mayor Andy Burnham used local government to lift up working people, and the working people in turn lifted up the Manchester economy.
“Now he is very clear he intends to bring the same spirit to national government – a very Northern spirit, but one which works not only for the North but for the whole country.
Dame Chi believes this type of leadership and the direction is what is needed in Westminster for our nation and most of all for the residents and businesses in Newcastle.
Chi also wanted to thank Prime Minister Keir Starmer for all he has done for our country and region, especially in stepping up investment in so many differing types of projects, both large and small.
She believes Andy can build on and accelerate the momentum of the past two years stating:
“As the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham has a track record of successfully addressing the challenge of long-term economic stagnation and falling real incomes.
“Under Andy, the economy of Britain’s second largest city has grown on average 3.0% per year, double the national growth rate.
“And Andy did so by driving Labour values across the Greater Manchester area
– by bringing public transport back under public ownership and integrating Manchester’s bus and light rail lines; by building social housing; by investing in vocational education and connecting students to work – reducing dropout rates in some schools to 0%; by bringing business, local Government and universities together to support local innovation and growth; by championing investment in innovative, local startups and spinouts through Northern Gritstone; and so on.”
Chi believes that kind of action here in Newcastle Central and West, the North East, and across the country is what will really benefit ordinary people.
Chi’s full statement can be found here.
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