How can 'King of the North' Burnham help the South?

Andy Burnham has become the 59th prime minister of the United Kingdom and has pledged the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in modern times. His idea is to devolve power away from London and out across the country, including creating a No 10 North. So just what will this mean for people living in the south of England?

Toby Roberts runs a chain of hardware stores across Hampshire. He is hoping Burnham will help local businesses.

"The Labour government over the last two years have not been particularly helpful for high street businesses like mine, in fact, quite the opposite, they've been brutal.

"We will wait and see what he implements. Business rates is a big one and he has made noises he is going to help."

Pete Street runs the oldest pub in Gosport, The Fox. He believes there should have been a general election.

"I'm not too impressed with Andy Burnham to be honest with you and the fact that he feels he can move from one political platform to another as easy as he is doing.

"I think it robs the British people of a voice".

Sarah Bridges, who runs The Sandwich Shop in Alresford, said she would like Burnham to bring in change.

"I don't really know about him, but what I do know is that everything at the moment is stacked against small businesses, everything is becoming increasingly difficult and it really needs to change."

Labour's Bournemouth East MP, Tom Hayes, has said he has already spoken to Burnham.

"I've made clear my priorities, it's about growing the economy, tackling our cost-of-living crisis and giving Bournemouth and Britain, more broadly, a shot in the arm.

"A sense that we can do better and be better, and the hopeful and optimistic note that he sounded on the steps of Downing Street today."

Hayes added: "The fact he's talking about about coastal towns gives me a lot of confidence about the future."

Joe Robertson, the Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East, has said he is concerned that, here in the south of England, we have a very different demographic to Manchester.

"We have a much older population so that these things like challenges around social care and health are much more significant.

"Manchester's success in recent years has been built on a lot of private investment, a lot of foreign investment.

"How will Andy Burnham translate that into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the wider south area, really remains to be seen."