Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Devolution and Regional Growth

Background

The Labour Party manifesto for the 2017 general election included a commitment to establish the post of a "Minister for England" within the Department of Communities and Local Government.

A position of "Minister for England", with responsibility for representing English interests within intergovernmental bodies, was proposed by a report titled "Intergovernmental Relations in the UK: Time for a Radical Overhaul?" published in The Political Quarterly in 2020.

In a report titled Devolving English Government published in April 2023 the Institute for Government and the University of Cambridge's Bennett Institute for Public Policy proposed the creation of an "Office for England" led by a "Secretary of State for England".

A dedicated ministerial role with responsibility for English devolution was created in July 2024, following Labour's victory in the 2024 general election, when Jim McMahon was appointed Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution.

Responsibility for English devolution strategy and local economic growth was transferred from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) to the Cabinet Office's newly established Number 10 North in Manchester after Andy Burnham became prime minister on 20 July 2026.