Government rhetoric on levelling-up worryingly empty as north-south divide grows ever-vaster - The Yorkshire Post says

Despite the Prime Minister and his Cabinet endlessly reiterating their intention to rebalance the economy to give the north a fairer deal after decades of under-investment that has held the region back, there are few signs of real progress.

Granted, the pandemic disrupted the Government’s legislative programme, but even given that, much more could have been done. Nor must it be forgotten that last year’s axeing of the HS2 line to Sheffield and Leeds, and the downgrading of Northern Powerhouse Rail, seriously undermined the its claims to be committed to boosting the north’s fortunes.

Now, the annual health check of this region’s economy by the think-tank IPPR North provides further evidence that Government rhetoric on levelling-up is worryingly empty. Rather than the gap between north and south closing, it is in fact growing wider.

This is unacceptable. Regional inequality is not an abstract issue, but one which has grave consequences for educational attainment, the prospects of our young people, business growth and the development of new industries.

The long-delayed Government white paper on levelling up is not now expected before next month. The suspicion must be that it has been held back because its proposals lack substance.

If that is the case, the north will be unforgiving. The Prime Minister should not forget that he owes his majority to red wall seats here. They expect him to fulfil his promises.

We have been fobbed off by successive governments for too long over investment, and if an administration that has repeatedly claimed it will make a real difference for the better fails to do so, the verdict of voters at the next election is going to be damning.