Andy Burnham is a candidate for the Mayor of Manchester, and a Labour one at that, so I wouldn't expect him to say anything else.
As far as MAG is concerned I suspect they are quietly pleased that the Government has opted for the most undeliverable proposal of all. The pollies and lawyers will still be arguing the toss about LHR R3 long after MAN's terminal redevelopments have been completed.
Mayoral candidate he is, but at least he has spoken out, and raised the issue about transport infrastructure spend in the North both in the press and in questions to Grayling in the Commons. Have to say, Grayling's response did not impress me, nor did his answer to a question about the role of regional airports with spare capacity. It was an opportunity for him to at least acknowledge and stress the importance of regional airports but as the question was from the opposition there was just a curt comment that it was up to those airports to sell themselves to the world. His only reference to the regional airports was connectivity to LHR. Of course, he was selling R3 as a national benefit so what have us Northerners got to moan about??!
It would be surprising if there were not plenty of legal delays but I wouldn't put my money on R3 never happening. What the impact on MAN, if any, would then be is not clear, but in the meantime it's up to MAN to strive to continue the momentum of growth in services while at the same time ensuring infrastructure improvements provide a reasonable passenger experience until the TP is complete.