‘Blue Wall’ Tory MPs raise the North’s stakes at last – Tom Richmond

This was masterminded by Jake Berry, who served in the Cabinet as Northern Powerhouse Minister and has emerged as the de facto shop steward of Tory MPs from the North.

It was, at face value, a constructive intervention and it was disingenuous of some in Berry’s newly-formed Northern Research Group to say the contents had been leaked when they had, in fact, been circulated in the media.

The letter began by reminding the Prime Minister of his “levelling up” speech in late June when he highlighted the policy programme’s social and economic importance. They obviously feel there’s political drift, as The Yorkshire Post has long suspected.

It went on: “The North has seen a level of disruption unparalleled with other parts of the country.” This is code for the PM to remember that his responsibilities extend beyond the Home Counties.

And the key passage came after the MPs, including David Davis, the former Brexit Secretary, praised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for his various financial support measures. It stated: “We do however share concerns that the cost of Covid could be paid for by the downgrading of the levelling up agenda, and Northern constituencies like ours will be left behind.”

Three points. First the concerns must be serious if such an eclectic group of MPs were prepared to sign this letter.

Second, the PM’s Commons majority stands at 80 seats. If all 41 chose to make a stand and rebel in any future vote because they believed that the Northern Powerhouse had been marginalised, the Government would be defeated.

Third, this is early evidence that, for the first time in living memory, Northern Tories are actually prepared to work together and utilise their influence, just as the SNP and others have done in previous parliaments.

The letter went on to make valid points about the Government publishing more comprehensive data about Covid’s prevalence so constituents know whether their sacrifices, when areas go into Tier 2 or 3 lockdowns, are paying off or not.

Although Health Secretary Matt Hancock says determining factors will be the rate of re-infection, and available capacity in hospitals, this has still to be confirmed. It should be.

And, finally, there was warning to Sunak after he chose to limit the scope of the spending review, already delayed, to just a year because of the prevailing uncertainty.

The MPs said: “We believe now is the right time to reaffirm our commitment to people living in the North with a Northern Economic Recovery Plan…”

This was a direct appeal to the Chancellor to get on, as he has already promised, with rewriting the Treasury’s so-called “green book” spending rules which have deprived this region of infrastructure investment for decades because they so favour London and the South-East.

The letter finished, as it began, by urging the PM to “reflect carefully on our promise to people living in the North”.

“Reflect carefully”. That, my friends, is political-speak for telling the Prime Minister that he now ignores the North at its peril. And the fact it comes from Conservative MPs tells its own story.

MY column on Monday comparing footballer Marcus Rashford’s action over child hunger with Shipley MP Philip Davies’s inaction prompted wide debate.

This came when Rashford’s inspirational example was compared with the insulting and ill-tempered letters that Davies sent to constituents who made contact with him over the issue.

He’s been in touch to complain about the tone in which some people have been contacting him on a variety of matters and says MPs also have a right to expect better from voters.

I agree. Elected representatives deserve to be treated with respect and I, for one, won’t criticise them if they decline to respond to correspondence which is insulting about them and their families.

But that should not prevent every resident of Shipley writing to Davies, who recently married Esther McVey, the former Work and Pensions Secretary, and asking a series of detailed questions about the scandal of child food poverty and why he’s not using his position of authority to follow the exemplary and inspirational example being set by Rashford. I would if I lived there.

BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire doesn’t deserve vilification for suggesting that she and her family will break the “rule of six” by having seven guests for Christmas Day.

Having apologised, she should be encouraged to use her profile to raise the plight of the lonely and those who can’t count on such a strong family network.

A FAVOUR please. There was mention the other night on BBC Look North of a news item or event – I forget which – being applicable to Greater Leeds.

Is Greater Leeds the suburbs around the city centre – or the new shorthand for the wider city region ahead of next year’s mayoral election?

PRESENTING Grandstand prepared the late Frank Bough well for breakfast TV and his memory lapse as he prepared to interview Tory grandee Rab Butler.

He thought on his feet and introduced Mr Butler – quite correctly – as “my friend on the right”.

At least it wasn’t as serious as Joe Biden, the man who could be President-elect of the United States next week, forgetting Donald Trump’s name the other night...

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