A pledge to put Yorkshire first

This was, after all, the location for a keynote address, at the culmination of day one of the General Election campaign, in which the Conservative leader promised to speak up for "the hardworking decent people of this country".

It was the first of many whistlestop visits to this region to show that Mr Cameron understood the area's political importance (unlike his predecessor as Tory leader).

And it appears, from the upbeat tone of yesterday's address, that he now recognises Yorkshire's strategic potential as an economic powerhouse – and that the priorities of the North are very different to those in London and the Home Counties.

This is reassuring on two fronts. Until yesterday, the Prime Minister created the impression – with his visits to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – that the English regions might have to play second fiddle to the devolved governments in the Celtic nations over funding for regeneration schemes. It's now up to Mr Cameron to demonstrate, with his decision-making, that these concerns are groundless.

Second, the Prime Minister and Vince Cable, his erstwhile York-born Business Secretary, have given their strongest commitment that Yorkshire Forward will continue to be the driving force behind the region's revival, and oversee the evolution of low carbon economy.

This is essential if the country is to become less dependent on the public sector for jobs and investment – one reason the coalition Government has had the misfortune to inherit Europe's largest budget deficit. Britain needs a new generation of manufacturing jobs and Yorkshire, with the right political interpretation, can deliver them.

As Mr Cameron said himself, the most effective regeneration schemes are those which involve the Government working in conjunction with local authorities and private businesses. And the fact that he says Yorkshire will be a priority area for action bodes well for the future – provided that he honours the commitment to ensure future spending decisions do not compromise the North's recovery prospects.

Too much economic policy-making has, in the past, been skewed in London's favour. Mr Cameron and Dr Cable say they intend to change this as they put in place policies to rebalance the economy, and breathe new life into every English region.

Many families and businesses are counting on them to succeed. To paraphrase an election theme, it's time for them to begin the work of change.