No Yorkshire leader at Brexit meeting
Brexit: Region’s loss of influence
POLITICS: Brexit Secretary David Davis met the North’s three metro-mayors in York yesterday to discuss their Brexit priorities – but Yorkshire’s failure to agree the ‘devolution deals’ meant the region was not represented.
BREXIT SECRETARY David Davis has been told he should listen to all parts of the North as the Government negotiates with Brussels.
Mr Davis met with the North’s three metro-mayors in York yesterday to discuss their Brexit priorities.
Yorkshire’s failure to agree the ‘devolution deals’ which produce metro-mayors meant the region was not represented.
Speaking after the meeting, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “Are we going to be the conduit for the North? In our view it should be all of the North is represented in these talks.”
The idea of a body representing the North of England emerged out of a summit of senior council figures in Leeds in August and Mr Burnham indicated that could take the lead.
Mr Burnham was joined by Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram and their Tees Valley counterpart Ben Houchen at the meeting where they asked Mr Davis for greater certainty over the future of funding currently provided by Brussels.
Yorkshire receives around £100m a year from the European Union and the Government is committed to replacing it through a new ‘UK shared prosperity fund’ after Brexit.
Mr Burnham said they had asked Mr Davis for a commitment in the upcoming Budget for funding at the current level for the next 10 years.
The mayors also asked for the new prosperity fund to be put in local hands.
He said: “Embracing devolution has got to be a part, a big part, of the response to the referendum. I think what came through at the referendum was an underlying sentiment that is very strong in parts of the country that the old system of Westminster and Brussels together worked better for some areas than it did for others.
“I’ve been saying to all the Cabinet as I’ve met them, that as politics at a national level becomes more and more mired in this debate they should let positive energy flow into the process of devolution and put some real drive behind their own policy.”
Mr Burnham said Northern leaders were concerned the Government could pursue a “London-centric Brexit”.
“There’s a fear that the City of London and the financial sector, with Europe knowing that we want to protect that, they may seek concessions elsewhere from the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector or automotive or digital.
“Those trade-offs are what worry us very greatly.”
During a visit to Yorkshire to take part in an event organised by Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel, Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer echoed Mr Burnham’s concerns. He said: “Brexit will affect communities right across Yorkshire. Ministers must do more to ensure every region of the country has a voice in these crucial negotiations. Labour understand the importance of local input in the Brexit talks.”
In a statement, Mr Davis described the discussions in York as “productive”.
He said the Government would continue to work with metromayors to understand the “potential challenges and opportunities that leaving the EU presents to each of the regions”.
He said: “As we continue to make decisive steps towards our exit, we are committed to bringing all of the UK with us – ensuring that every region is able to flourish.”
A devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region was effectively scrapped at a meeting last month.
EVEN THOUGH Yorkshire’s political leaders have made significant progress in recent weeks in their attempt to resolve the region’s devolution deadlock, this county’s loss of influence in the interim was laid bare when Brexit Secretary David Davis met metro-mayors – in York of all places – to discuss myriad issues pertaining to the UK’s departure from the European Union.
In an embarrassing irony that must make this region’s decision-makers and powerbrokers think again about their various differences, this county – the biggest in the country and more than comparable to each of the devolved nations – was effectively represented by former Labour minister Andy Burnham in his new role as the elected mayor of Greater Manchester.
Yes, a politician from the other side of the Pennines effectively speaking for this county at one of the few opportunities where Mr Davis, who was born in York, has made himself available to regional leaders to discuss Brexit. To be fair to Mr Burnham and his colleagues, they did a good job and said that the whole of the North, including Yorkshire, needed to be represented in future talks.
They also talked about the repatriation of policymaking powers from Yorkshire to the regions – powers that, presumably, will be denied to this county if attempts to coalesce around the One Yorkshire devolution blueprint do not come to pass.
However, this county deserves better from this. Families and businesses alike want Mr Davis, one of the few senior politicians to have experienced hardship, to reassure them about Brexit. Equally, it’s important that the specific needs of farmers and food producers, so crucial to this county, are highlighted. And, while agriculture is a concern for all, it’s not Mr Burnham’s top priority in the North-West, hence the need for Yorkshire to get its act together, and as rival regions have already done to good effect.