North needs powers for 'skills revolution' and transport funding from Budget, Jake Berry says

The resources to drive a “skills revolution” and an empowered voice to encourage investment to the regions are among the pledges the North needs to see from the Budget today, according to the head of an influential group of northern MPs.

Jake Berry, chairman of the Northern Research Group has also called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to make sure that transport projects across Yorkshire are well funded and to “let northerners decide” how and where money is pumped into our economies.

The Richmond MP will stand up in the House of Commons today and has promised to craft “an economy fit for the new age of optimism” following almost 20 months of pandemic interventions.

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Mr Berry, who served as the Northern Powerhouse Minister under both Theresa May and Boris Johnson drove home the importance of transport spending for communities outside of London, something that is predicted to feature heavily in Mr Sunak’s speech.

File photo dated 16/10/19 of Jake Berry, who chairs the Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs (PA)File photo dated 16/10/19 of Jake Berry, who chairs the Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs (PA)
File photo dated 16/10/19 of Jake Berry, who chairs the Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs (PA)

However, when speaking to The Yorkshire Post this week, the MP for Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire also said that he would also like to see “some move towards further devolution of skills”.

“If we’re going to deliver on that Prime Minister’s ambition - and I absolutely support it - moving from a low wage insecure job economy to a high wage, secure job economy, then how we’re going to get there is through skills.

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“I think that giving some more power to the north to drive that skills revolution, properly funded, is hugely important.”

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Similarly he advocated “empowering northern voices to bring investment to the north” as the economy shifts to a greener, post-pandemic footing.

“Give us the ability to attract investment to the North”, he said.

“Work with us to bring that next sovereign wealth fund or private business that is going to set up a new enterprise in the north of England, with some funding behind it as well.”

His comments come as the author of the Conservative’s 2019 landslide election manifesto has said that Yorkshire towns and cities “need to feel improved” if Ministers are to deliver on their key levelling up promise.

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Writing in The Yorkshire Post today, former Downing Street insider Rachel Wolf said that the term ‘levelling up’ “is poorly understood by people and politicians alike” and “risks meaning everything and nothing.”

She added: “Beyond the remit of the Budget, the Government now needs to get ultra serious about delivery.

“We also need to see more than the current, temporary, measures, to help businesses invest in Yorkshire.”

The Treasury have enraged the Speaker of the House of Commons this week, and for the second time in two days, Sir Lindsay Hoyle launched an attack after seeing previews in the media, telling the House of Commons: “This House will not be taken for granted, it’s not right for everybody to briefed, it’s not more important to go on the news in the morning, it’s more important to come here.”