Cameron and Osborne to set out plan for Yorkshire

The Prime Minister will be joined by the Chancellor for a series of engagements across the region as the Conservatives prepare to be judged on their economic policies.

In an exclusive commitment made to The Yorkshire Post today, the pair promised 100,000 more people across the region would be in work by 2020.

Referring to a “long-term economic plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire”, Mr Cameron said he had “an ambition to add an extra £13bn to the economy here in real terms by 2030”.

The Prime Minister went on to say that one of the most pressing demands for Yorkshire and the North was to invest in the transport network.

Mr Cameron will make a commitment to adding to plans for high-speed rail links to the South and across the North as well as repeating a pledge to make the M62 four lanes over the Pennines and vowing to increase speeds on the East Coast main line to 140mph.

And backing Yorkshire tourism, the Prime Minister added: “Yorkshire was recently ranked as one of the top places in the world to visit – and it’s no surprise. From Castle Howard to Headingley, from Brontë Country to Scarborough, and the unforgettable Tour de France, there is so much to draw thousands of visitors to this stunning part of the world.

“But our plan is to go further – to increase overseas visits by a quarter. That means backing a rural tourism campaign and getting behind the Tour de Yorkshire.”

Mr Osborne said Yorkshire was a vital part of his plans for a Northern powerhouse.

“We want a truly national economic recovery,” he added. “The evidence is that this is happening. Yorkshire is growing and creating jobs and on many measures doing so more quickly than the rest of the country. Now we need to sustain this and remove the decades old North and South divide.

“That is why the Prime Minister and I are here today setting out how we will build a Northern powerhouse.”