The prime minister answered concerns quietly expressed by some local politicians and business leaders that the region could lose out on government funding, because a northern MP is now in charge.
Speaking of his time as Manchester mayor, Burnham said: “It was my job to be a strong voice for Greater Manchester and the wider North, but when I go around the country I see the same as I see in the North-West.
“There are communities here, in places like Harlow, that feel that little bit forgotten, because they’re on the fringe of a big city and they’re right to feel like that, because sometimes they don’t get the investment and the attention that they deserve.
“So I’ll be as much for the East as I will be for the North-West.”
He said he had promised good growth in every postcode in the country, adding: “I’m here today to show my commitment to communities across the East of England… I’ll be a regular visitor.”