By Joseph Timan

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Local leaders are worried that Andy Burnham’s rocky relationship with the government will affect investment in Greater Manchester. They fear the region will be ‘passed over’ as a result of his latest conflict with Keir Starmer. It comes after the Greater Manchester mayor criticised the government and set out what he would do differently in a series of feature interviews ahead of the Labour Party conference this week. Mr Burnham insists he supports the Prime Minister and is committed to his job as mayor – but he has not ruled out challenging Sir Keir for the leadership . During the party’s conference in Liverpool, Mr Burnham said he cannot stand to be leader because he is not an MP. However, he has been criticised by many in the party for his recent interventions – including those who support him. Sign up to the MEN Politics newsletter Due North here Chancellor Rachel Reeves likened the Labour mayor to Liz Truss following his comments about the bond markets. But Labour politicians in Greater Manchester are now concerned that the animosity with No. 10 and the Treasury will have an impact on the region. It comes as the region awaits news about Northern Powerhouse Rail after a decade-long campaign for the new train line from Liverpool to Manchester and beyond. The mayor is also lobbying for government support for his Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) technical education scheme as well as his proposals to change the way health, social care and employment support is provided locally. Northern leaders have also called for more power to be devolved from Westminster, such as levying a tourist tax. Local leaders in Greater Manchester do not expect that the government will punish the region by cancelling any projects, but they fear recent animosity with Mr Burnham will make ministers reluctant to give the mayor ‘a win’. A Labour source from Greater Manchester: “There’s a concern that this won’t help make the case for more devolution and that Greater Manchester will be passed over as a result. “There are lots of big issues still to be sorted and so rebuilding a decent relationship must now be a priority.” During the four-day conference this week, Labour announced that the Victoria North development in Manchester where 15,000 homes are planned would be among the first 12 ‘new towns’ to be backed by the government . The Prime Minister has also said he is ‘absolutely committed’ to Northern Powerhouse Rail despite some delays.