'There's sewage in the rivers, trains don't run properly and people can't afford heating on normal salaries': Andy Burnham says the country is 'fundamentally broken'

Mayor Andy Burnham has called for more co-operation between the north of England and Scotland. The Greater Manchester politician said any move to take decisions without Westminster involvement would lead to “a better world” - insisting the country is 'fundamentally broken'.

In an interview with the Sunday Mail, Mr Burnham said there were “lots of opportunities” for the north of England and Scotland to work together. He said: “There’s also lots of opportunity for collaboration where Scotland and the north could be working together to create jobs, improve our housing stock and make sure children aren’t living in cold, damp properties.”

Mr Burnham was elected mayor in 2017 after standing down as Labour MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, a seat he had held since 2001. Widely tipped as a future Labour Party leader, Burnham ran twice, losing to Ed Miliband in 2010 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.

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But he says for now he is now more interested in working directly with the Scottish Government after meeting SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf earlier this week. Mr Burnham said: “I am keen to talk to him about the reindustrialisation of Scotland and the north of England via net zero.

“This is a genuine opportunity but at the UK-level it’s increasingly clear that there’s a desperate and nasty attempt to make the next election a highly divisive culture war.” The Greater Manchester mayor also talked about the state of British politics and said the right will try to divide people by “going after the lowest common denominator”.

Mr Burnham added: “We’ve hit a point where the country is fundamentally broken. I’m sure it is the same in Scotland. There