Westminster Conservatives have warned that the new Labour Government must not pursue policies that weaken London’s economy, with Council Leader Paul Swaddle arguing that growth in the capital benefits the whole country. Swaddle highlighted concerns over potential property tax changes and warned that damaging Westminster would have wider economic consequences. The debate comes as Andy Burnham’s focus on devolution raises questions over how funding and resources will be balanced between London and other parts of the UK.
This article by Karl Mercer is published on BBC London and you can read it here.
What will Prime Minister Burnham mean for London?
For more than a decade, Labour has been led by a London MP, the capital's concerns never far away from their inbox.
But is that about to change now that the man from Makerfield is in charge? Will "levelling up" for the north mean lowering expectations in London?
Or will the capital's MPs and lobby groups be filling Andy Burnham's in-tray with forget-me-not emails?
Many questions remain as the so-called king of the north settles in to his new home in the south, and he is asked by the actual King to form a government on Monday.
London's mayor Sir Sadiq Khan joked in recent weeks that he'd "played football with Andy and set up him up with lots of goals... something I'll remind him of".
But will he need more than footie bantz to persuade the new Number 10 not to move resources out of the capital?
We start our quest for answers at Olley's Fish and Chip Experience on the edge of Brockwell Park.
It's said to be Andy Burnham's favourite chippy in London - he used to live around the corner.
Owner Harry Niaza has been here for nearly 40 years and says the new PM should drop by to see what's changed.
He told BBC London: "Come and try my curry sauce Andy, it's bangin'."
Like many small businesses, Harry has had to adapt to survive - not a bad example, he says, for the new prime minister.
"Running the country is like running a fish and chip shop. There are things as an individual you can make changes for, other things that you won't be able to control."
His big ask of the new prime minister is action to tackle energy costs which he said had "gone through the roof" in recent years.
The boss of BusinessLDN, a group representing hundreds of businesses in the capital, said he's optimistic about the incoming government.
John Dickie supports the so called devolution agenda - promises made by Andy Burnham to move more power and money from Whitehall to local areas with his promise of "growth in every postcode".
"The critical thing for me is devolving revenue from central government to local councils," said Dickie.
"At the moment we're in a crazy situation where if you do development in London it is brilliant for central government.
"It gets the VAT receipts, the income tax, it gets national insurance, it gets property taxes and virtually nothing stays with the local council where it happens."
Much of Burnham's devolution message has been about moving the focus away from Westminster.
Civil service jobs will move, so will the levers of power, with more decisions taken at a local level.
But there's a plea to him from the recently-elected Conservative leader of Westminster City Council to keep in mind that policies that damage London would also damage the country.
Paul Swaddle was concerned over reports of a possible property tax on homes worth between £1.5m and £2m, and other policies being considered by the new government.
He said: "Moving things out of Westminster isn't growth, it's just moving the deckchairs.
"Growth means growing the whole economy and the 8.3 sq miles (21 sq km) of Westminster City Council is 4% of the economic output of the entire country.
"If they mess up Westminster it messes up London and it messes up the country."
Some have welcomed noises coming from the Burnham camp that seem to support changes to property taxes like stamp duty and council tax.
Independent think tank the Centre for London said reform was long overdue, pointing out that a homeowner in a £1.8m five-bedroom house in Kensington could at the moment be paying the same as someone renting in a two bed home in Croydon.
Chief executive Antonia Jennings backs a proportional property tax, based on the value of a property.
"If Andy Burnham is serious about devolution, that principal should apply first and foremost to tax policy."
London's mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan welcomed Burnham to the new job, saying he can work closely with a man he has known socially and professionally for many years.
Making sure London gets it's fair share of resources will be the challenge - one Burnham addressed when he took over as Labour leader when he said he would be a prime minister for "the north, the south, the east and the west".
A relief perhaps for London's ennobled mayor Sir Sadiq, who took the opportunity for a little dig at his predecessor, Boris Johnson.
He said: "There is one example of a mayor who was a terrible prime minister - this one will show it's possible to be a great prime minister having also been a great mayor."
