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  • 8 minutes ago
Newly elected Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig has dismissed suggestions Prime Minister Andy Burnham would be a "backseat driver", saying she was excited to work with him and that his premiership presented an unprecedented opportunity for Greater Manchester and would help return power to places that had long felt overlooked by Westminster.
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Transcript
00:00Are you worried that Andy Burnham's going to be a backseat driver, having done the job, as he said, for
00:04nearly 10 years?
00:05No, I'm excited that he's going to be a Prime Minister that drives us forward,
00:08and it gives Greater Manchester an opportunity that we've never had before.
00:11I think it's a great opportunity, me as Mayor, Andy as Prime Minister, that's exciting.
00:16I suppose it's an advantage that you've got his mobile phone number, you've probably got him on speed dial.
00:21Not every Mayor can ring up the Prime Minister on his mobile and say, hey, I want this.
00:26Look, I'm not competitive amongst my new friends as the Mayor, but the reality is, like for generations,
00:33many communities have felt that Westminster hasn't got them,
00:36and neither have got a Prime Minister who looks and signs like he's backing them.
00:40And I think that's the opportunity for Greater Manchester, he knows his place,
00:44but he also knows that the story is the same when you go to Yorkshire, you go to the North
00:48East, you go to the Midlands.
00:49And I think, you know, yes, we've got a great relationship,
00:52yes, I'll always put Greater Manchester first in what I argue for,
00:55but I think it's an exciting opportunity for the whole country to be able to give power back to people
01:00that feel like it's been out of their reach for such a long time.
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