Andy Burnham’s No 10 North has a precedent – in medieval York

Andy Burnham’s decision to establish No 10 North, a permanent northern base for the prime minister’s office, has been hailed as an ambitious shift in state power. Supporters see it as a long-overdue attempt to rebalance political power away from Westminster. Critics have questioned the practicalities of moving part of the machinery of government beyond London. The idea that England has always been governed from a single political centre is surprisingly recent. Westminster may now appear almost…