Revealed: Mandarin who runs No10 North lives in £2.2million townhouse in trendy Islington, commutes by train to Manchester and stays in luxury hotel with 23rd floor bar and a pool

By ABUL TAHER and ARTHUR PARASHAR, SENIOR REPORTER and CAMERON CHARTERS Published: 23:43, 8 August 2026 | Updated: 23:45, 8 August 2026 He's the civil servant tasked with delivering Andy Burnham’s pledge to end centuries of London-centric government by running an outpost in Manchester. So eyebrows were raised last Monday when Sam Lister strolled out of his £2.2million townhouse in trendy Islington and started his working week from Whitehall as usual. For The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the newly appointed Director General of No 10 North has no current plans to swap his family’s comfortable life in the capital for a symbolic fresh start 200 miles away in Manchester. Instead, he works Mondays from the Cabinet Office, before catching an early train to Manchester on Tuesday mornings. Once there, he divides his time between the temporary headquarters of No 10 North and a luxury city centre hotel, before returning home to London on Friday evenings. Including meals, his taxpayer-funded trips to and from Manchester come to an estimated £800 a week – enough, annually, to pay the wages of a new junior doctor. Downing Street sources insisted that Mr Lister is very keen on his new role, though has yet to decide on his family’s living arrangements. A source said: ‘Sam has only been in the job for three weeks, so there are wider things to think about, which takes time.’ Pictured: Sam Lister -  the civil servant tasked with delivering Andy Burnham ’s pledge to end centuries of London-centric government who lives in Islington  Mr Lister stayed at the Manchester Deansgate Hotel, a 24-storey building boasting an indoor pool, spa and sauna, and Cloud 23 (pictured), a 23rd floor bar offering panoramic city views The 52-year-old, who has previously been a journalist and held roles across the departments of health, business and culture, boarded the 6.29am Avanti service from Euston last Tuesday, travelling in standard class on a return ticket costing more than £220. He was joined on the same carriage by Will Davis, Director of Devolution and Local Growth at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with the pair seen chatting and working on laptops throughout the journey. Also on the train was Harriet Gordon, 34, a Cambridge-educated deputy director at the Treasury. Heron House, a 15-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly, was previously best known as the northern hub of GCHQ. It now houses No 10 North alongside a Slug & Lettuce pub and the Manchester Register Office, as well as Wing’s, the Chinese restaurant favoured by Wayne Rooney. Mr Lister and Mr Davis stayed at the Manchester Deansgate Hotel, a 24-storey building boasting an indoor pool, spa and sauna, and Cloud 23, a 23rd floor bar offering panoramic city views. On Friday, dressed down in a pale blue shirt and maroon trousers, Mr Lister left Heron House at 5pm sharp and took the tram to Piccadilly for the 5.34pm train to Euston, treating himself to a seat in Standard Premium – though Downing Street sources stressed he paid for the upgrade himself. Most of the officials who travelled up earlier in the week made the journey home on Thursday evening, with more than a dozen seen dragging suitcases towards Piccadilly shortly after 6pm to catch the 7.14pm to Euston. No 10 said it is advertising for permanent roles at the office, which could employ up to 300. Mr Burnham announced the creation of No 10 North as his flagship policy within days of becoming Prime Minister, promising it would shift power away from Westminster. Mr Lister on the train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the newly appointed Director General of No 10 North has no current plans to swap his life in London for Manchester  Pictured from left to right: Chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Caroline Simpson, Britain's Minister of State in the Cabinet Office Louise Haigh, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service Antonia Romeo, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey and Department for Business and Trade director general, Sam Lister Critics have dismissed it as a ‘gimmick’ and little more than an excuse for officials to work from home on Fridays. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘The worst bit about it is the cost and the complete pointlessness of it.’ Tory MP Greg Stafford said: ‘If anything shows what a farce the idea of No 10 North is it’s this – the taxpayer having to fork out for loads of civil servants going up and down on the train just to feed Andy Burnham’s vanity. It’s ridiculous.’ Mr Lister is expected to make the same round trip again this week.