Previous decades of regional policy have failed to close the North-South gap in economic productivity and prosperity. We’ve decided to do something about that, and are moving beyond old political rivalries. So a Labour Mayor of Liverpool and a Conservative Secretary of State might not be likely allies – but we both believe in the same thing: a Northern Powerhouse.
The real split now isn’t between left and right but between centralisers and localists, between those who believe you can run a modern post-industrial economy from Whitehall and those who recognise there is an urgent need to devolve power. We believe that the centralisers have had their day. The North-South gap is a testament to their failure and the need for a new way.
There is now a growing consensus around a new model of decentralised decision-making that all parties should support.
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