Tories inside Red Wall vow to keep PM on the level
FORTY Tory MPs are launching a campaign aimed at ensuring Boris Johnson sticks to his promise to help struggling communities.
The backbenchers, including many who grabbed seats in Labour heartlands at the last election, have signed up to a new “Levelling Up Taskforce”.
They want to hold the Prime Minister to his commitment to ensure a more even spread of prosperity around the country.
Research for the MPs found earnings in “Red Wall” seats are five per cent lower on average than in current Labour constituencies.
House prices are £ 62,000 lower in the new Tory seats than Labour territory. Neil O’Brien, Tory MP for Harborough in Leicestershire, said: “The coronavirus crisis has only made the case for levelling up stronger so we can get the economy moving in areas that are less well off.”
Members of the group include rising stars of the new intake including Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison and Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham.
They plan to develop policy ideas to help the PM achieve his goal.
A report, published by think tank Onward to mark the launch of the group, showed how the political map of the UK has changed, with the Tories now representing many disadvantaged communities.
London’s economic growth since the 1990s had left many areas behind, the report said.
Jo Gideon, MP for Stoke- on- Trent Central, said: “There is a lot of untapped potential in parts of our country that have felt left behind for a long time. Now is the time to really hammer forward with the levelling up agenda.”