Andy Burnham: 'We've changed the country. It's irreversible. It's huge.'

Andy Burnham has credited Greater Manchester for 'changing the country' as the government announces a 'devolution revolution'.

Regions across England will be given new powers similar to those held by the Greater Manchester mayor, the government has announced. The English Devolution White Paper sets out a blueprint for the biggest shake-up of local government in decades.

The document also gives Mr Burnham new powers over transport, housing and planning. But speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the Labour mayor says the huge handover of power to regions across the country is 'by far the most significant in our lifetimes'.

READ MORE: Calls for towns to become part of Greater Manchester amid major local government shake-up

Praising Sir Howard Bernstein and Sir Richard Leese, his predecessors who pioneered devolution in Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham described the announcement as a 'proud moment' for the city-region. It comes after Deputy Prime Minister and Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner unveiled the English Devolution White Paper during a speech in Leeds on Monday afternoon (December 16).

Asked how significant the announcement is for English devolution, Mr Burnham said: "It's by far the most significant and I think possibly the most that we'll see in our lifetimes. Because this is a White Paper that is kind of tilting the running of the country away from Whitehall and Westminster and towards the regions and it's doing that systematically as opposed to a deal here or there.

"This is much more significant in saying that this is the model now for everywhere, it's irreversible. It's huge.

"We're going to be a less centralised, more devolved country going forward. I think finally England has a model of devolution that