Bright yellow buses crisscrossing Greater Manchester - cheaper, more reliable and back under public control after decades of privatisation - encapsulate the economic vision mayor Andy Burnham says he can deliver for Britain. The Bee Network, launched in 2023 to standardise bus and tram services and fares, is Burnham's "Manchesterism" proof of concept: the state, by reasserting control over public services and costs, can deliver more for less. Known, not entirely seriously, as the "King of the North", Burnham said on Thursday he would seek to contest a parliamentary seat becoming vacant after a colleague's decision to stand down, potentially paving the way to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership.…