How Andy Burnham wants to change Britain

"It is the unelected British State at its very worst. How can it do it? Because of the near unlimited power of people at its centre."

These might sound like the words of a conspiracy theorist or an excerpt from a speech by Liz Truss - who recently told an American audience that an unelected 'deep state' that really runs Britain and wrecked her 49 days as Prime Minister.

But they are actually the words of Andy Burnham - who claims there is a 'growing political movement' of people in the UK who he is speaking for.

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In his new book, the Greater Manchester mayor takes aim at a 'system in which already-powerful interests find it far too easy to get their way' - a system biased towards the south-east.

Identifying the 'unelected British state' as a party whip system which ensures that MPs, as he puts it, 'rubber stamp' entrenched positions; 'corporate lobbyists'; 'manipulative media outlets' and 'institutions of government' who, 'when disaster has struck', have 'only had a few phone calls to make to get the cover-up underway'.

Hear the mayors talk about the book in their own words on The Northern Agenda podcast - listen below:

Highlighting Liverpool, Derry and Aberfan as places let down by the forces of power over the years, he adds: "Think Grenfell, contaminated blood, Primodos, Windrush and nuclear test veterans. Watch the recent ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The tactics deployed against the sub-postmasters and post-mistresses were also used against all of the victims of the scandals mentioned above.

"It is a pattern that keeps on repeating down the decades and a play-book as old as time: A powerful centre plays divide and