The North now has real chance to progress in a post-Brexit UK

Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole, said that Yorkshire voted heavily in favour of Brexit and that the Government was giving affect to the will of the people of the region.

However, he told The Yorkshire Post that as the Government restructures the economy, there is a real opportunity for the North.

Mr Percy said: “As we restructure the economy there’s a real opportunity for the North, especially, to benefit from that.

“How are we going to do that practically? That’s going to be big investment, as we’ve already seen, in helping businesses from Yorkshire to access overseas markets, so UKTI is really important in that.

“Of course, foreign investment is hugely important too and we’ve seen a two-fold increase in that in the North.”

The new Northern Powerhouse Minister was in Leeds to help present the inaugural Victor Watson Trophy to illustrator and designer Katie Craven at CDI Yorkshire’s Yorkshire Day celebrations. Ms Craven will receive a £1,500 bursary from The Printing Charity.

Mr Percy said the region has some distinct advantages as the UK looks to access new markets post-Brexit.

The minister said: “As we access new markets, as we will inevitably have to, actually our region has some distinct advantages because some of those biggest growth sectors are ones we are really strong in and some of those are the ones we’ve seen the fastest growth globally in.

“The creative and digital sector is really important to that.”

Mr Percy reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse concept and said that there will be a “continuation” of the things that the previous leadership did for the region.

Although there has been big changes in Government since the referendum, Mr Percy says that it is still the same party “with the same values and principles”.

“It will be a continuation of a lot of the good that we’ve already achieved for the North,” he added.

Mr Percy said: “You only have to look at employment rates in the North now, which are in many parts at record levels, and of course we’ve seen particular sectors like this one here, the creative and digital industries sector grow even faster. Those are good well paid jobs generally. It’s a continuation of that.”

A devolution deal for West Yorkshire is high on Mr Percy’s agenda and he says that his priority is that local authorities and Government work together “so that we’re not in a relatively different position to other parts of the North”.

The MP for Goole and Brigg said: “We’ve got significant investment coming into transport. The creation of Transport for the North is quite important as they continue their work on HS3.

“We’ve got the re-franchising of the TransPennine Express Routes and the Northern Rail services, which is going to be bringing on new rolling stock and a better traveller experience.

“There’s a lot going on in the North already in terms of improving connectivity and supporting business growth.

“But it’s a continuation of that really because we do recognise that there is a gap between London and the regions.”

When asked if investment in transport infrastructure would be sped up, Mr Percy said it would be down to the Treasury.

CDI Yorkshire, a trade body that represents the region’s creative and digital industries, hosted the event to mark Yorkshire Day.

CDI Yorkshire is part of the BPIF (British Printing Industries Federation). Stefan Casey, from the Retail Institute at Leeds Beckett University, delivered a talk on sensory marketing at the event.

There are 64,000 jobs in the region that revolve around the digital economy, according to Robert McClements, the chief executive of CDI Yorkshire.

The Victor Watson Trophy was established to recognise a young person’s outstanding achievements in the creative and digital industry.