Rishi Sunak insists he shares 'passion and ambition for the North' after 50 Tory MPs write to PM over levelling up fears

Rishi Sunak has said he shares the “passion and ambition for the North” of 50 Tory MPs who have written to Boris Johnson over fears the pandemic is threatening his election pledge to “level up” the country.

Former Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry spearheaded the letter from the new Northern Research Group (NRG) as more than eight million people in England – predominantly in the North – will be under the most stringent Covid-19 restrictions by the end of the week.

The group urged Mr Johnson to set out a “clear road-map” out of lockdown restrictions, and warned “the virus itself threatens to send the North into reverse”.

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But Chancellor Mr Sunak, who represents the North Yorkshire seat of Richmond, said today he shares the “frustration” of the group.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak during a visit to the headquarters of Octopus Energy in London. Photo: PAPrime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak during a visit to the headquarters of Octopus Energy in London. Photo: PA
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak during a visit to the headquarters of Octopus Energy in London. Photo: PA

He told BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat: “I absolutely share my colleagues’ frustration at restrictions – of course that’s frustrating if you’re having to live under these things and you want to know when it’s going to be over.

“But I also share their passion and ambition for the North. I want my constituents to make sure they have the same opportunities that everyone else does. The conversation can’t always just be about what’s going on in London, marvellous as London is.”

He added that the Government remains committed to investing in infrastructure, education, skills, new job placements and broadband.

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A Number 10 spokesman said: “We are absolutely committed to levelling up across the country and building back better after coronavirus.”

But admitting for the first time that the ambitions had been set back by the virus, they added: “We stood at the last election on a solemn promise that we would improve people’s lives, and although the pandemic has meant 2020 is not the year we all hoped it would be, our ambitions for the country are unchanged.”

Mr Berry said: “The virus has exposed in sharp relief the deep structural and systemic disadvantage faced by our communities and it threatens to continue to increase the disparity between the North and South still further.

“Our constituents have been some of the hardest hit by this virus with many losing jobs, businesses, and livelihoods.

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“Never has there been a more pertinent and urgent political and economic case to support people living in the North.

“However, instead of moving forwards on our shared ambitions, the cost of Covid and the virus itself threatens to send the North into reverse.”

Some 40 Conservative MPs have publicly signed the letter, while a further 14 have had their names redacted.

Mr Berry said he and other MPs want to “revitalise” the Prime Minister’s levelling-up agenda.

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Asked if he and other northern MPs are staging a “revolt”, the MP for Rossendale and Darwen told the Today programme: “No it’s not a revolt. I mean I don’t know how it can be a revolt for northern MPs to write to the Prime Minister to ask to work with him on delivering his exciting manifesto that he has a mandate for from December 2019.”

Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi defended the Government’s support for the North and Midlands.

He said Tory MPs who have written to Boris Johnson were “champions for their area”.

He told Sky News: “They want to make sure that their Northern Powerhouse strategy that Jake Berry and others have worked so hard on – with myself, I’m the local growth minister as well as being the business and industry minister – is delivered.

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“That is absolutely our focus, and you will see that coming through in our refresh of the industrial strategy.”

Mr Zahawi highlighted areas across the North and Midlands which will benefit from a £180m share of the £3.6bn towns fund as evidence of the Government’s commitment.

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