Introducing the Northern Research Group: the trade union for Tory MPs

Boris Johnson has not had the easiest of relationships with the north lately. While the Prime Minister started his premiership promising to ‘level up’ northern regions, during the pandemic he’s ended up spending more time clamping them down, as Covid restrictions have been introduced across swathes of the north, and he’s clashed with local MPs and regional mayors.

So you’d imagine he was not exactly enthused when it was announced last week that a new group of Tory MPs were banding together to form a ‘Northern Research Group’ (NRG) to make sure the ‘levelling up’ agenda was not forgotten. These days ‘Research Group’ tends to spell trouble for the government. The infamous European Research Group successfully squeezed successive prime ministers during the Brexit negotiations. Meanwhile, the recently formed China Research Group is credited for pushing Johnson to adopt a tougher line on UK-Sino relations.

The new northern group was founded by Jake Berry, the MP for Rossendale and Darwen, a Northern Powerhouse minister for three years, and in some ways a surprising candidate to lead a pressure group against the government – he’s a close friend and ally of Boris Johnson.