What the King's Speech means for Greater Manchester and Andy Burnham

Labour has set out how it will push power out of Westminster and into the hands of local leaders.

The English Devolution Bill, one of 40 pieces of legislation announced in the King's Speech today (July 17), makes devolving power the 'default setting'. It means the government will be forced to consider requests for more powers for local leaders like Andy Burnham.

And if the government decides against handing over these powers, it must publicly explain its reasons why. Greater Manchester's mayor, who is one of the most powerful regional representatives in the country, has described the move as a 'major breakthrough'.

READ MORE: The new laws announced in the the King's Speech and how they will affect you

"It's a big day for us," told the Manchester Evening News. "We've worked a long time, prising powers out of Westminster.

"Now we won't have to do that anymore. We've won the argument.

"We don't always have to go on bended knee anymore. This is Greater Manchester's triumph."

The Labour mayor, who was first elected in 2017, already has powers over transport, housing and policing. Last year, the Conservative government agreed a new 'trailblazer' devolution deal with Greater Manchester which gives Mr Burnham more financial flexibility too.

Now the government has opened the door for even more power to be devolved. So what is the mayor planning to ask for?

Speaking to the M.E.N. after the King's Speech, Mr Burnham said that his top priority will be to devolve the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) budget for employment support. This does not mean that the mayor would set how much people receive in benefits.

Instead, the Greater Manchester mayor wants more control over how job centres work alongside more funding for local