For his dissertation, Matthieu Dinh applied content analysis to 440 articles from 8 national newspapers from 2020 in order to shed light on how print media portrays three metro mayors: Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester), Andy Street (West Midlands), and Ben Houchen (Tees Valley). His research reveals that their increasing prominence in the national print media suggests a shift toward a more personalised, quasi-presidentialisation of politics – even at the subnational level.
By Matthieu Dinh (BSc Politics and International Relations)
A quiet revolution has taken place in English local government over the past decade. In an effort to boost economic growth beyond London and strengthen regional representation, directly elected metro mayors have been introduced across an increasing number of city-regions. Though their formal powers are relatively limited, especially when compared to that of devolved governments in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, metro mayors benefit from strong personal mandates due to them being directly elected, and many have emerged as prominent regional figures. They increasingly provide alternative voices to Westminster-based politicians, often commanding significant public and media attention as a result.
Local roles, national voices
This visibility is not purely by institutional design, instead it depends significantly on how individual metro mayors make use of the platform given to them. Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham has become a household name, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, when he clashed with central government over regional lockdowns. His highly vocal stance expanded his role from being merely a local administrator for Greater Manchester into what many dubbed ‘the King of the North’, defending the interests of Northern cities and regions against a hostile Conservative government perceived to favour London and the south-east:
This is nowhere more so than in Greater Manchester, where Labour mayor Andy Burnham’s self-styling as King [of] the North has gained traction after his fights with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as his city was forced into more Covid-19-induced restrictions. Manchester, in gratitude, has even named a burger after him.
Battle of the mayors and the metropolis, Sebastian Payne, FT Opinion, October 30th 2020
By contrast, metro mayors like West Midlands’s Andy Street have taken different approaches resulting in a significantly reduced presence in national newspapers. Indeed, Street has maintained a more cooperative stance with Westminster and was often merely cited in contrast with the more outspoken Burnham when commenting on regional issues- though he has also benefited from credibility garnered owing to his former role as John Lewis’s CEO.
A reluctance to cover local stories
Despite being designed in part to be quasi-regional spokespeople, with the goal of promoting and advocating for their city-regions, my research indicated that national print media remained uninterested in local stories. Indeed, metro mayors were rarely framed in purely local terms with over 70% of the articles analysed placing metro mayors within a national context. For instance, Andy Street, though responsible for local transport, was covered far more in the context of HS2 which – though serving the West Midlands – does not come under his remit:
Many regional leaders have rallied behind the scheme. Andy Street, Tory mayor for the West Midlands, who is facing a re-election contest this May, has been fighting hard to keep the highspeed rail link alive.
[…]
“Investment is flooding into the West Midlands, we are not a tinpot republic where we go back on the national decision-making on which billions of pounds or private money has been pledged,” said Mr Street.
PM under pressure to put brakes on HS2 after latest cost rise, Jim Pickard, Gill Plimmer and Andy Bounds, FT, January 20th 2020
This insistent focus on matters of national significance as opposed to local issues did, however, benefit Tees Valley metro mayor Ben Houchen. Though far less recognised on a national level and thus more rarely covered by the press in his first term, Houchen gained visibility through local advocacy on topics which generated much national interest – most notably his role in lobbying against the threatened closure of the Teesside Steelworks. A relic of Britain’s industrial heritage which attracted public nostalgia, as well as having far-reaching implications for the country’s industrial strategy and national security, Houchen became an important figure in the national press amidst high interest in the region’s post-industrial regeneration:
‘A David v Goliath battle will begin in the north-east of England on Tuesday as the mayor of the Tees Valley (population 700,000) faces off with the government of Thailand (population 69 million) over the future of the former Redcar steelworks.’
Tees Valley confronts Thailand over future of Redcar steelworks, Helen Pidd, The Guardian, February 9th 2020
Beyond party politics?
These cases reflect a wider trend in the individualisation of politics, where individual personalities are increasingly prioritised over institutions or political parties. The media often prefers to focus on recognisable figures who can personify complex national political issues and metro mayors (especially those with strong public personas and a distinct public brand) fit this role well – even if they may not have any formal remit over the issues they are asked to comment on.
Importantly, amidst this quasi-presidentialisation of local politics, metro mayors’ distinct personal brands manage to distinguish them from that of their party. In fact, the more prominent a mayor became, the less likely it was for their party affiliation to be mentioned.
Case in point: Andy Burnham. Despite being a senior Labour figure, only about a quarter of articles referenced his party affiliation. By contrast, less prominent figures like Ben Houchen were more often referred to in tandem with their party affiliation, with over two-thirds of articles about him mentioning his Conservative Party membership. This suggests that media framing relies more heavily upon the existing party brand and identity when a metro mayor has yet to build a strong personal brand of their own.
Political implications
My research carries an important lesson in political communication as the new Labour government intends to expand metro mayors to the rest of England. On the one hand, metro mayors can act as effective advocates for their regions, drawing national attention to local issues and challenging the dominance of London-centric policymaking. On the other hand, their visibility depends heavily on individual charisma and being media savvy – something which will likely be more challenging amidst an increasingly crowded field of metro mayors.
The views expressed in this post are those of the author.
Image credit: Tracy Brabin @mayorofwy