'Yorkshire has simply not benefitted from the same opportunities as London and the South East' - Liz Truss

I grew up here and went to school in Leeds, where I saw too many children held back by low expectations and poor educational standards. I never believed it had to be this way, which is why I entered politics, and why I’m standing to lead our great country.

For too long our economy has been imbalanced. Places like Yorkshire have simply not benefitted from the same growth or opportunities that London and the South East have been afforded. We need to double down in our mission to level up the country.

I would do this with my bold plan to get our economy back on track and to transform our country into an aspiration nation, where people from all parts and all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed.

We will not get there by sticking to a business-as-usual approach, which has left us with the highest tax burden in 70 years and stagnant economic growth over decades. We have the power to be a high-growth and highly productive economy by empowering people to get ahead on the strength of the enterprise, like so many do every day across Yorkshire.

I will make this happen by governing in a Conservative way. I will be the Prime Minister who champions every person who works hard, takes personal responsibility, saves their money, goes to work every day or starts their own business.

My plan to deliver the change we need is clear, consistent and credible. It is focused on the fundamental concerns people have across Yorkshire and the rest of our country, from making ends meet to affording a home to getting a well-paid job.

In these tough economic times, people need immediate help rather than in years to come. I will start to deliver that from day one by slashing taxes, including reversing the National Insurance rise, in order to put more money back in people’s pockets.

People know how to spend their money better than any Government. The right thing to do is provide immediate help to reward people for their hard work and show we are on their side. I will embrace our new-found freedoms outside of the European Union by driving through decisive reforms to make us the best place in the world to do business. This includes slashing pointless Brussels-inspired red tape by the end of 2023 and working with local communities to create low-tax and low-regulation investment zones where they are most needed. They will serve as modern-day successors to Saltaire as hubs for industry and enterprise, driving forward job creation and growth.

I know Yorkshire farmers make food which is second to none in its quality and taste. I have been proud to promote this county’s produce across the globe, helping everything from Grimsby smoked fish to Yorkshire forced rhubarb to find new customers in major markets such as Australia and Japan. I will free them from senseless regulation so they can spend more time growing world-class food rather than filling in forms.

I know the transport network in Yorkshire could be so much better. Leeds has great history as home to the world’s first commercially successful steam locomotive. Yet nowadays, it is the largest city in Europe without its own metro network. I want to fix that, and am committed to building Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.

I know that the people of Yorkshire know best what their area needs. Before I was an MP, I was a councillor on a planning committee – hours of my life that I will never get back. I will scrap top-down housing targets that impose the wrong development in the wrong places in our communities from Whitehall. I will instead put planning power back in the hands of local people – because they know what is in the best interests of their community.

Yorkshire is brimming with enterprise, as I saw only yesterday when visiting Reliance Precision in Huddersfield. Hundreds of local people work there, making a fantastic contribution to our economy and keeping our nation safe. They are working in exactly the sort of high-skilled jobs I want to see more of around the region as part of our continued drive to level up the country. My plan will ensure that by backing businesses to go for growth and harnessing the power of investment.

I could not be prouder to have grown up in Yorkshire. Having spoken to MPs and party members across the region, I know they share my impatience to get on with the job of delivering on our promises to the British people.

People can trust me to get the job done. As Prime Minister, I will hit the ground running alongside a strong team united in our determination to deliver the change we need. I have stepped up time after time already. Together, we will ensure Yorkshire’s best days lie ahead.

Liz Truss is a Conservative Party leadership contender and the current Foreign Secretary.