Ministers to blame for losing trust of North, claims key Johnson ally
THE GOVERNMENT has been accused of “dithering” and presiding over a breakdown of trust with this region over Covid lockdowns – by its former Northern Powerhouse Minister.
Jake Berry, a former close ally of Boris Johnson, cites poor “communications and leadership” for the deteriorating state of the Government’s relations with the North.
He makes the comments in an exclusive column for The Yorkshire Post ahead of today’s Great Northern Conference which will be addressed by the PM.
His rebuke follows Downing Street’s stand- off with Greater Manchester metro mayor Andy Burnham over the imposition of Tier 3 restrictions in the fight against Covid- 19.
Yesterday leaders in South
Yorkshire reluctantly agreed to move Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster to this new level of lockdown from Saturday in return for £ 41m of cash support.
But Mr Berry, who lost his Cabinetlevel role in February’s reshuffle, blames the Government for eroding public trust.
He now heads the newlyformed Northern Research Group of ‘ blue wall’ Tory MPs committed to holding the Government to account over its ‘ levelling up’ agenda.
And Mr Berry, a key figure in Mr Johnson’s 2016 and 2019 leadership campaigns, hopes this week’s events represent a turning point after the Government was “forced to listen to local leaders in the North”.
He writes: “The information vacuum coming from Number 10 has allowed high- profile Labour leaders to seize the advantage, and make great political capital from the dithering from Ministers.
“The responsibility for this lies with government – its communications and leadership has been sorely missing in these highstakes negotiations.”
Mr Berry, whose post was given Cabinet status in the wake of the Power Up The North campaign run by 40 newspapers last summer, urges Ministers to share “full and clear data” with families “in a simple and understandable way”. He concludes that now is the time to accelerate devolution, allowing “locally- elected leaders to have more of a say in how their areas are run”.
The Prime Minister cannot stand back whilst one half of England is effectively jettisoned from the other in the middle of an economy shattering global pandemic.
WITH PERFECT timing the Great Northern Conference takes place today, with a keynote speech from the Prime Minister and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who has Cabinet responsibility for the North, as supporting cast.
What, literally, can Boris Johnson say to millions of people who have been plunged into the highest tier of lockdown this week, curtailing personal liberty and threatening jobs, livelihoods, mental health and communities? From Saturday, this now includes South Yorkshire where I live.
I have a long list of things he should be addressing, starting with, ‘ how long it will last?’ and ‘ what’s the exit strategy?’. I’m not holding my breath for answers. Everything comes with a caveat; talking about what he might do and actually doing them are two very different things with Mr Johnson, as we have swiftly learned.
His promises to ‘ level up’ the country have crumbled into bitter ashes. Nowhere is this more evident than in his intransigent attitude towards regional lockdown.
Political nuances have coloured every twist and turn in negotiations between the Prime Minister and the metro mayors, including Dan Jarvis here in the Sheffield City Region. Entrenchment has done no good whatsoever, as Greater Manchester metro mayor Andy Burnham found out to his cost.
Can Mr Johnson find a way of rising above this rancour? He should. I would like him to commit his government to bringing about unity instead of creating discord.
Frankly, he needs to stop being irresponsible and engage instead of disconnecting and cutting adrift. Whether he is terrified of the collective power of the North or not, the Prime Minister cannot stand back whilst one half of England is effectively jettisoned from the other in the middle of an economy- shattering global pandemic.
As trust between the North and London Government reaches rock bottom, how does Mr Johnson reassure the North that he really does have our interests at heart?
Well, there is a way. An imaginative Prime Minister would both respect the very real difficulties Northerners are experiencing because of coronavirus and look over the hill to next year. This must be achieved with huge sensitivity, a quality he has hardly demonstrated in spades.
I’d advise him to cut the waffle and stick to specifics. I want to know how he proposes to rebuild confidence in local economies when town centres are shattered and pubs, shops and other businesses are shuttered. I’d like him to talk about how investment across our region, not just in specific areas, will create long- term and sustainable jobs.
His recent announcement of a £ 160m fund for the renewable energy sector, for example, was welcome. This is a positive step for some of our coastal towns. However, it left many other beleaguered communities wondering just how it might benefit them.
What are the plans for wider- scale economic regeneration? Which sectors might be wooed to our region? There has been much talk about relocating whole government departments up here, which would of course create jobs. Does he have news on this? I’d like to know.
Allied to this is understanding and improving the life chances of our young people. I’ve heard so many mumblings and rumblings about training courses and apprenticeships from the PM that I’m totally confused. Can we have some clarity here please? What does he propose to put in place to ensure that the next generations of taxpayers have meaningful, sustainable and worthwhile prospects of work?
And I’d like to hear what he has to say about inter- regional connectivity. On this, his Transport Secretary might be kind enough to shed light on why the proposed £ 400m rail link to Doncaster Sheffield Airport has been quietly dropped.
It is reported that the Department for Transport does not think that this proposal, which would transform transport in South Yorkshire and bring jobs and private investment, will deliver ‘ value for money’. And the north/ south high speed rail link HS2 does, when employment and commuting are likely to be changed forever after the pandemic? I hope that HS2 does not feature heavily in the script, because it’s so irrelevant to daily reality in the North of England right now.
Understanding this reality must run through this speech today. And the Prime Minister should remember that, in his ‘ virtual’ audience, will be all those new Northern Tory MPs who crashed through the ‘ red wall’ on a wave of Brexit- fuelled popularism.
These are the people who have to go back to their constituencies and tell voters why they should still believe this Conservative Government truly does have their interests at heart. If he loses them, he’s lost the North for good.