How might 'King of the North' Burnham treat the East?

From East West Rail and new towns to the Fens reservoir and Sizewell C nuclear power plant, governments have had big plans for the East of England.

But there is change at the top and former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham could be prime minister within weeks.

How might the so-called King of the North moving into Downing Street affect projects in the East?

"I think there's potential for short-term nervousness," said Andy Williams, chairman of the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board, a business-led group lobbying for more strategic investment between the two university cities.

But he added many investments had "already been made" and things were "in fairly good shape".

"I think what's important from our perspective is we continue to build on what's been a really good relationship with government."

That relationship was recently on show at a "Creating a Scientific Superpower" conference hosted by Williams' organisation.

The event was addressed by both Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, and saw a slew of government announcements about the East.

Pennycook revealed the government would set up a Greater Cambridge Development Corporation to steer growth across the city of Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, sharing £800m with Oxford.

When Reeves addressed the conference later that day she announced a "major land acquisition", with government housing and regeneration agency Homes England buying Cambridge Airport in partnership with developer Hill Group.

The airport site could eventually see more than 10,000 homes, a football stadium and railway station.

In another sign of the government's commitment to the region, earlier that day Reeves had confirmed £1.3bn of public money would go towards infrastructure to support the new Universal United Kingdom Resort near Bedford.

Burnham is widely expected to demote Reeves from the Treasury and choose a new chancellor.

As mayor of Greater Manchester, he has also lobbied for more investment in the north of England.

But Burnham has supported an "innovation partnership" between Cambridge and Manchester universities.

And Williams, a former Astra Zeneca executive, said there was recently a "foreign investment mission" involving Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool and Manchester.

The approach on that trip had been "more about identifying our unique capabilities and hunting together, rather than dividing the UK up".

"I think as long as we have a relationship with government moving forward, we will be able to work through any challenges along the way," he added.

But governing is about choices.

During the Makerfield by-election campaign, Burnham told the i newspaper he favoured extending HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester.

In January, the government committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail, a huge upgrade of services between cities in the north of England.

Could that project go further, faster – or both?

And what could these investments mean for the £6bn East West Rail, connecting Oxford and Cambridge, or much hoped-for upgrades to Ely and Haughley rail junctions, seen as vital for boosting capacity?

Labour Ipswich MP Jack Abbott has been the current government's "mission champion" for the East.

He said it had "long been recognised by this government that projects like East West Rail are incredibly important".

"Andy Burnham has shown in his time as Greater Manchester mayor that he wants to invest in these sorts of projects, so my hope is that we will continue that investment we've seen in infrastructure in the East over the last two years – if not increasing."

Abbott, who said he was "incredibly disappointed" that Sir Keir Starmer resigned, had a rallying call for the region.

"We can't wait for a prime minister to cast favour on us and just invest in us out of thin air.

"We've got a lobbying job to do collectively as a region," he added.

The "very rainbow coalition… of different parties" that represented the East had "all got to come to the table collectively and ask government and really show government that we're going somewhere, that we can deliver on that investment they give us," he said.

The East is also expecting to host at least two of the government's new towns.

More than 40,000 homes could be built in a new settlement in Tempsford, Bedfordshire, alongside an East West Rail station.

Another 40,000 could be built in the north and east of Milton Keynes in what ministers described as a "renewed new town".

Whoever becomes Burnham's energy secretary will eventually be asked to decide whether to allow National Grid to build 114 miles (183km) of pylons and cables between Norwich and Tilbury as part of its Great Grid Upgrade.

Burnham has also said he favours "stronger public control" of water companies.

That could impact how plans for a new reservoir in the Cambridgeshire Fens proceed.

But Sarah Bool, Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, told BBC Politics East that "we don't know what Andy Burnham is actually going to bring to the table" and she was concerned there was "a complete lack of details".

"I think people are projecting on him what they think he might do."

Bool called for "greater support for businesses" and "taxation coming down".

She added that people in her area were "crying out for help".

Burnham, an advocate of devolution, is expected to give a speech on the topic on next week.

The Starmer government had been planning to scrap many county and district councils, in favour of unitary authorities and directly-elected mayors.

The plans could see a raft of new mayors created, including one for Greater Essex and another for Norfolk and Suffolk.

But the three county councils in those areas are railing against parts of the proposals.

Essex leader, Reform UK's Peter Harris, said he supported the idea of a mayor for Greater Essex, who would have "greater power" to unlock the "economic potential of Essex – to create the skills, the jobs, the training".

But Harris said reorganising councils was "completely and utterly wrong for Essex".

He added: "I was elected by residents only in May to deliver on the public services – to repair the roads, to deliver the public services on children's services and adult social services and the SEND provision.

"What they didn't elect me for was to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on a political project which is not going to make any difference."

But until Burnham is confirmed as Labour leader and prime minister, names his cabinet and begins governing, there is a lot we do not know about how the former mayor will act.

As Abbott, the Ipswich MP, said: "It very much looks like Andy Burnham will be the next prime minister of the country in a few weeks' time, but everything else beyond that is a little bit theoretical at this stage."

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