theguardian_business

Scoff at cheaper bus fares and No 10 North if you like, but Andy Burnham knows what he’s doing | Jonathan Freedland

📰 source: theguardian_business · 💼 business

andy burnham capped single bus fares across england at £2 from january, his first week as pm. he also opened no 10 north in manchester, touting devolution as the key to growth. the moves echo ken livingstone's 1981 fares fair scheme — a simple, tangible policy that voters remember. kemi badenoch dismissed them as 'mayor of manchester ideas', but the article argues retail politics works. a harvard/kings college study by ed balls finds britain's productivity problem is regional, and burnham's devolution push could be the answer. past leaders like major, blair and osborne regretted not pushing regional growth early. this time, burnham, healey and rayner align on the agenda. critics want bigger moves, but devolution might be the big-ticket item that unleashes growth across the country.

why it matters: burnham's small retail policies signal a devolution drive that could reshape uk economic growth and regional equality.

source: theguardian_business
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Surprise fall in US jobs last month as slow summer continues

Homes are selling below asking in 38 of the 50 biggest U.S. cities—if you can afford one

China is gaining ground in AI. But the U.S. still has a major advantage

US strikes $1.2bn deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects