Focus will stay on levelling up
CHANCELLOR PLEDGES NEW PM’S DILIGENCE
NEITHER Liz Truss nor Rishi Sunak will “take their eye off the ball” as Prime Minister when it comes to levelling up the North East, the Chancellor has promised.
The two remaining candidates to take over in Downing Street have been urged not to ditch the Government’s pledges to narrow the Northsouth divide, with Labour claiming that Boris Johnson’s flagship policy is “dead”.
Ahead of the pair clashing in a televised leadership debate last night, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defended their levelling up credentials. Mr Zahawi, who was put in charge at the Treasury after Mr Sunak’s resignation, said on a visit to Newcastle yesterday that “the mission remains the same, both candidates are committed to it”.
Speaking after a tour of the Greggs factory in Longbenton, the ex-education secretary told The Chronicle: “I don’t believe that children in the North East are any less talented than
in Stratford-on-avon or South Kensington, they just don’t have the same opportunities as some parts of the North East to have that great school with a great teacher.
“That is why we are making investment in half a million teacher training opportunities – we have 465,000 teachers and I think that investment will really begin to deliver. As Chancellor, we have committed to 50 new schools a year this year and next year and we are very much looking to target that towards Educational Investment Areas.
“But more than that, if you look at the Levelling Up Fund, £100m is going into the North East, the work around other funds in transport with the Metro getting new carriages – all of that is stuff we have already done, but there is more to go in terms of the Integrated Transport Plan.
“I don’t think you will find Prime Minister Sunak or Prime Minister Truss taking their eye off the ball, they will be absolutely focused on the levelling up agenda.”
Mr Zahawi had earlier been in Darlington to name the permanent site for the town’s Treasury campus, which it is hoped will see 1,100 jobs move out of London by 2025.
Meanwhile, Newcastle has been making its case to become the headquarters of the UK rail system after hosting a Ministerial visit.
Rail Minister Wendy Morton visited Newcastle yesterday as part of a tour of all six towns and cities shortlisted to become the HQ of Great
British Railways, the new body that will oversee the management of the UK rail system. Newcastle is on a shortlist with Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster and York.
The Minister was given a tour of potential locations for the headquarters, which could include the Stephenson Quarter, where Robert and George Stephenson’s works started the railway revolution almost 200 years ago.
She met MPS, North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll and business representatives to hear Newcastle’s case for the building.
She said: “Today’s been an opportunity for Newcastle to really showcase itself and tell me a little bit more about why its bid should succeed.
“There are six criteria that we will consider, one of which is the public vote. We’ll also be looking at criteria like connectivity, the opportunities for GBR, and aligning with our levelling up agenda as well.
People can vote at https://gbrtt. co.uk/hq-competition-public-vote/.
A decision on the HQ will be announced later this year.