Andy Burnham's landslide victory in Makerfield, followed by Keir Starmer's resignation, has accelerated speculation about his path to Number 10. If he gets there, Britain will have something it has not seen for a generation: a Prime Minister whose political identity has been shaped by the North of England rather than Westminster.

For entrepreneurs, that matters. For too long, economic policy has been viewed through a London lens, despite some of the UK's most ambitious founders, fastest-growing businesses and most exciting innovation hubs being located in cities such as Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool.

As Wes Streeting recently observed, "We've got to be as focused on wealth creation as we are on wealth distribution." He is right. We cannot redistribute prosperity we have not first created. Growth is the foundation of investment, innovation, better public services and higher living standards.

Burnham has long argued that economic growth should not be concentrated in a handful of London postcodes. The North has the talent, ambition and infrastructure to drive national prosperity, yet often lacks the investment and influence to fulfil its potential. The question now is whether a Burnham-led Britain could create a more level playing field for entrepreneurs and businesses beyond the M25.

The Burnham Growth Model

One reason many business leaders are paying close attention to Burnham is his track record in Greater Manchester. Over the past decade, he has focused heavily on attracting investment, improving infrastructure, championing regional economic growth and granting greater autonomy to local areas.

Unlike many politicians, Burnham has spent much of his career grappling with the practical realities of creating economic opportunity outside London. That matters because some of the UK's most successful businesses are being built in countless towns and cities across the country.

I know this first-hand. Having founded, built, scaled and exited UKREiiF from Leeds, I have now set up the Entrepreneur Festival in the same location. Under my tenure, UKREiiF generated more than £60m in local economic benefit and helped unlock over £2bn in projects and investment - so the local impact of any one business cannot be underestimated.

The experience taught me that entrepreneurial ambition is evenly distributed across the UK, but opportunity often is not.
Burnham understands that challenge. The question is whether the lessons learned in Greater Manchester can be translated into a national growth strategy.

Entrepreneurs Need Government to Match Their Energy

The support needed to launch a business is different from the support needed to scale one. The challenges of attracting investment differ from those involved in hiring talent, entering international markets or preparing for an exit.

Too often, policy is fragmented because government departments think in silos while entrepreneurs live in ecosystems.

There is also a tendency to view a successful exit as the end of the entrepreneurial journey rather than the beginning of the next one.

Yet some of the most valuable contributors to the economy are founders who choose to build again. Having experienced both success and failure, they bring hard-earned knowledge, stronger networks and a greater understanding of how to create sustainable
growth. Their experience often has as much value as the capital generated from an exit, helping to create jobs, mentor emerging founders and avoid the costly mistakes that can derail young businesses.

The challenge is that the UK does relatively little to encourage successful entrepreneurs to reinvest their wealth, expertise and ambition back into the domestic economy. Britain has become highly effective at creating start-ups, but less effective at ensuring the value generated by successful founders continues to circulate through new ventures, investments and mentorship. If growth is the priority, policymakers should be thinking not only about how businesses are started, but how successful entrepreneurs are incentivised to scale, exit and build again.

The Missing Voice in Economic Policy

Another challenge facing any incoming government is that economic policy is too often designed without sufficient input from the people creating economic growth.

Founders are frequently consulted after decisions have been made rather than involved in shaping them from the outset.
That creates a disconnect between policy intentions and commercial reality.

Entrepreneurs understand where investment barriers exist. They understand the practical challenges of scaling businesses, attracting talent, navigating regulation and competing internationally. They know what prevents growth because they encounter those obstacles every day.

If Britain is serious about rebuilding its economy, policymakers need to spend less time talking about entrepreneurs and more time listening to them.

That is one of the reasons I launched the Entrepreneur Festival. Throughout my own business journey, I discovered how difficult it can be to access practical advice from people who have genuinely built, scaled and exited companies. If I want to know something, I want to learn it from people who have been there and done that – not from people who have simply studied it. There is enormous value in learning from lived experience, and the same principle applies to policymaking.

The people who create growth should have a meaningful voice in shaping the conditions that enable it.

Confidence Is an Economic Policy

Ultimately, the debate about Burnham is less about ideology than confidence.

Businesses do not invest because politicians tell them to. They invest when they believe the environment supports long-term success.
They hire when they are confident about demand.

They innovate when they are confident about future returns.

They take risks when they believe success will be rewarded.

For much of the past decade, confidence has been in short supply.

Political turnover, Covid, the expense of Brexit, shifting priorities and economic uncertainty have made it harder for entrepreneurs to plan for the future.

The next Prime Minister's most important task may not be launching a flagship policy or announcing a new funding programme. It may simply be restoring belief that Britain is a place where ambition is worth pursuing. And if you choose to pursue it, you know that you have the right support for every stage of your journey.

The Real Test

The real test of an Andy Burnham premiership will not be whether he can talk about regional growth. It will be whether he can rebalance the economy towards the places that have too often been overlooked.

The North does not need special treatment. It needs the same access to investment, talent, opportunity and influence that has long been concentrated elsewhere. Entrepreneurs across Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and beyond have already demonstrated what they can achieve when given the chance.

If Burnham can create the conditions for more businesses to start, scale and stay in the North, his greatest legacy may not be political at all. It may be proving that Britain's next chapter of economic growth will not be driven solely from Westminster or the City, but by the entrepreneurs building businesses in the North and beyond.

Keith Griffiths

Keith Griffiths is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the Entrepreneur Festival. Having built, scaled and exited businesses, he is passionate about helping the next generation of founders navigate the challenges of growth at every stage.

The Entrepreneur Festival is a national platform built to help entrepreneurs start, scale and succeed. Connecting founders, investors, operators, advisors and policymakers, it delivers practical insights, meaningful connections and real-world expertise from people who have built, scaled and exited businesses.

At its heart is a flagship three-day festival at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, 15-17 June 2027, bringing together more than 4,000 decision-makers, 300+ speakers and 100+ exhibitors. Focused on action over theory, the event is designed to accelerate growth through curated networking, honest conversations and practical problem-solving.

The Festival sits within a year-round ecosystem of membership, events, digital tools and targeted support programmes, all with one mission: to strengthen entrepreneurship and help drive economic growth across the UK.