Pull plug plea over Northern Powerhouse
GEORGE Osborne’s plan for a Northern Powerhouse needs to be ditched to ensure Britain gets the maximum benefit from Brexit, a report claimed last night.
Policy North, an independent think tank, savaged the former Tory chancellor’s blueprint as “a concept without content”. It called for a new approach that would prepare leading cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle to get the most out of a new era of international trade when the UK leaves the EU.
Tory ministers are continuing Mr Osborne’s vision of backing inter-connected industries and transport links across the North.
But the report focuses on fostering economic growth and says: “We believe the Northern Powerhouse is no longer good enough to service the future needs of a truly Global North.
“A number of policy commitments since 2014 have fallen under the heading of the Northern Powerhouse but there seems to be little clarity surrounding specific aims and objectives.” The report adds: “A key problem is that the Northern Powerhouse resembles a brand without a product and a concept without content. Britain is a great trading nation and the North truly has the potential to become an international powerhouse.”
The report also calls for the creation of a Great North Free Port to generate £12billion a year and create 600,000 jobs by building trade links overseas.
Stephen Purvis, chairman of Policy North, said: “When Britain leaves the European Union, the North can really prosper outside of the customs union and the single market.”