Tories urged to stay united behind 'One Yorkshire' devolution despite MP's attempts to persuade them to break away

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake will today tell Yorkshire Tory council leaders who support a ‘One Yorkshire’ deal that they would be better off backing a series of smaller city region-based agreements.

He dismissed suggestions he was acting on behalf of apparently sceptical Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry as “absolute nonsense”.

But the timing of his intervention has been questioned with the 18 One Yorkshire-backing councils set to meet next week to agree a structure of how a deal with one mayor for the whole region could work.

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Mr Hollinrake will address Tory council leaders in private after the Local Government North Yorkshire and York meeting in the historic city today.

The MP is understood to have asked to address the North Yorkshire council leaders, who are all in the “coalition of the willing” backing One Yorkshire, a while ago.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Hollinrake said he was concerned that a region-wide deal could centralise power in a city at the expense of rural North Yorkshire.

Vision for the future: What powers could a ‘One Yorkshire’ mayor have? He told The Yorkshire Post: “It’s not a case of breaking the unity, it’s proposing a different solution.”

“I didn’t know there was a (One Yorkshire) meeting next week to be honest, I have long advocated a different solution and I think it’s important that leaders look at all the different options and if the whole of Yorkshire decides they want One Yorkshire I completely respect that.”

Labour MP John Grogan, a vocal One Yorkshire supporter, said Tory council leaders have led the way in arguing for a region-wide agreement, which Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire this week said he was still considering.

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The Labour MP said: “I very much hope the Conservative Party in Yorkshire will stick with the One Yorkshire plan. If we are to get significant new powers and resources from Whitehall it is really important that we all try and stick together across party lines.”

North Yorkshire County Council leader Carl Les said: “I am anxious to make progress on this matter because I do feel we are being left behind.”