Memo to Boris Johnson: Here’s how to level up – The Yorkshire Post says

That it comes from Parliament’s much-respected cross-party Education Committee headed by Robert Halfon is also not a surprise – he, and his colleagues, have been showing far more urgency on this issue, and school standards, than any Cabinet Minister or the Labour front bench too.

As Rotherham-born Justine Greening, a former Education Secretary, sets out so eloquently in today’s edition, the very people counting on politicians and policy-makers to make a difference deserve better than such a haphazard approach – mixed ministerial messages on devolution are the latest glaring example.

They also need continuity and certainty when it comes to implementing measures to enhance opportunities and tackle the social inequalities which are holding back Britain – a cross-party collaborative approach would show how politics should be conducted at a time when the country has never been more divided.

But the good intentions of MPs – and all 650 are, in fairness, motivated by a desire to serve and improve the fortunes of their constituents – will fall short unless Boris Johnson’s government begins 2021 by defining levelling up and then explaining how success will be measured.

A dedicated Ministry of the North here, preferably headed by an enlightened politician who recognises the breadth of the policy agenda and the opportunities which do, in fact, exist here, would be a start and The Yorkshire Post awaits the PM’s response after challenging him earlier this week to set out his intentions. We now look forward to seeing the detail.

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