Michael Heseltine's 1981 hands-on intervention in Liverpool — three weeks on the ground, 30 projects drawn up and the self-appointment as "minister for Merseyside" — shows how persistent, practical government can deliver results. His taskforce forced agencies to coordinate, reclaimed derelict land and helped create long-term cultural and economic assets such as Tate Liverpool. The experience offers a clear lesson for Andy Burnham and other ministers: devolved power requires sustained, on-the-ground leadership and delivery, not just policy talk.
Andy Burnham Must Act Now: Lessons From Heseltine’s Hands-On Revival Of Liverpool
Andy Burnham's conference speech was high on hope and vision and what might come after the next election - Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images
Defending former members of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet can feel lonely at a Labour conference, but one story from Liverpool offers a powerful, practical model for ministers who want to deliver change now.
In the summer of 1981 Michael Heseltine, then environment secretary, decamped to Merseyside after the Toxteth riots. He spent three weeks listening to residents and business leaders, walking the streets, convening difficult meetings and compiling a list of 30 projects he believed were essential to reverse the city's decline.
"It took a riot." — the memo Heseltine sent to Margaret Thatcher, calling for responsibility and investment, a copy of which sits in her archive.
Heseltine appointed himself "minister for Merseyside", formed a taskforce made up of officials and business secondees, and treated the role like a hands-on clerk of works. He travelled to Liverpool every Thursday until his move to the Ministry of Defence in 1983, personally pushing agencies to coordinate, clearing derelict sites, creating a technology park and launching efforts to clean the Mersey.
Not every initiative was flawless: the International Garden Festival underperformed, not all redevelopment succeeded, and both public and private investment lagged behind his ambitions. Yet tangible successes followed — most famously the conversion of the Royal Albert Docks and, after a brief conversation with the Tate's director, the opening of Tate Liverpool seven years later.
Michael Heseltine, 'minister for Merseyside', after being pelted with eggs during a visit to Liverpool in 1982. He helped government agencies join up, brought derelict land back into use, created a new technology park and cleaned up the Mersey - Frank Loughlin/Liverpool Echo/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
What This Means For Burnham And Devolution
The current debate about devolving power recognises a key problem: local government has been hollowed out in many places. Handing powers into an organisational vacuum rarely produces results. Real change comes from sustained, engaged work with people who know their roles and are empowered to act — not from policy papers alone.
Andy Burnham's conference speech set out long-term ambitions — from a national care service to electoral reform — but some problems can and should be tackled immediately. Ministers should take a page from Heseltine's playbook: go to the place where the problem is, define the concrete issue to be solved, assemble the broadest possible coalition of partners, force agencies to coordinate, and stick at the delivery until it yields results.
Active government need not be overbearing; it must be confident in deeds rather than words. Transform institutions and plan for system change, yes — but do not defer all action until after an election. Roll up your sleeves now and get things done.
As a Liverpool poet put it: life happens while you are busy making other plans. Ministers would do well to remember that and to act accordingly.
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