Comment PM and Co prove the Midlands now matters
WASN’T that a brilliant Conservative Party conference? I don’t mean Theresa May’s speech at the end, when she told middle class liberals where to get off.
I suspect she’s found a winning formula for the next election. Her combination of sticking it to greedy bosses and taking a hardline approach on immigration and crime is exactly how Labour MPs have been clinging on to marginal seats in parts of the Black Country and Birmingham for years.
But as I’m one of the middle class liberals she disapproves of, it didn’t do much for me.
No, what was great about the Conservative conference was the way that Birmingham was the star of the show.
It’s only natural for any party to talk a little about the town or city where their conference is held. But this year, the Conservatives went above and beyond the call of duty.
Theresa May held up Birmingham as a success story to be emulated by other parts of the country.
She told the conference: “Here in Birmingham, thanks to the incredible Jaguar Land Rover, the West Midlands is the only part of the country to run a trade surplus with China.
“And across the region, the Midlands Engine is on track to deliver 300,000 more jobs by 2020.”
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley praised the city’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games, saying: “The Commonwealth Games could be hosted right here in Birmingham, after last week’s announcement that it is preparing a bid for 2026.
“This city has a fantastic sporting pedigree and we look forward to seeing their exciting plans.”
Chancellor Philip Hammond devoted a lengthy section of his speech to Birmingham and the West Midlands, insisting: “We want to create the conditions for success in the North, the South, and everywhere in between.
And there is nowhere more ripe to benefit from a similar approach than the Midlands.”
He highlighted the Government’s “Midlands Engine” policy, our version of the more famous “Northern Powerhouse” championed by former Chancellor George Osborne.
“In this great region, there are 320,000 more people in work than there were in 2010,” said Mr Hammond.
Business Secretary Greg Clark suggested the Government’s industrial strategy was inspired by Joseph Chamberlain, one of the city’s most famous politicians, saying: “In this city of Joseph Chamberlain, who as Mayor created conditions for industrial success that made Birmingham renowned as the City of a Thousand Trades, we must recognise the importance of place to an industrial strategy. For far too long Governments have peered out from Whitehall and imposed policies that treated every place as if they were identical.” What’s going on? Partly, the Conservative Party wanted to big up their candidate for West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, who led the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, from 2011 until September this year.
But I think there’s more to it. The Conservative Party, and of course the present government, seem eager to persuade people that they are taking the Midlands seriously – in contrast to the previous regime.
Mr Osborne didn’t make much effort to hide the fact that the Northern Powerhouse was the project he cared about most.
He was regularly on the train to Manchester (as I’ve noted in this column before). He mentioned Manchester and the north in speeches far more than he talked about Birmingham and the Midlands.
And nobody was surprised when he announced, having left government, that he was setting up a think tank called the Northern Power-
Theresa May has thrown her personal backing behind the Midlands Engine, alongside her new Chancellor and other senior ministers.
house Partnership, dedicated to his Northern Powerhouse idea.
It’s true that he also launched the Midlands Engine. But despite the support of Sajid Javid, the former Business Secretary and now Local Government Secretary, this was never really given the same status within government.
That’s changed. Theresa May has thrown her personal backing behind the Midlands Engine, alongside her new Chancellor and other senior ministers.
It’s not a snub to the north. And in some ways it’s not really about the Midlands, as the Government wants to find ways of showing all the other regions of England a bit more love.
The north, and Manchester in particular, can say they’ve led the way.
But there’s certainly a change of heart, and a change of focus. The Government’s attention is no longer focused solely on Manchester. For Birmingham and the Midlands, that’s good news.