Treasury rules may be altered to reward Tory voters in North

THE Treasury’s spending rules could be altered to boost investment in the North and the Midlands as part of Boris Johnson’s pledge to deliver for working class communities that voted Tory.

Under new plans, investment decisions would take into account improving people’s well-being or narrowing the productivity gap with the South and focus less on overall national economic growth. Proposals being considered ahead of the Budget would affect how officials work out the value for money of investments in transport, business development and other initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is reportedly drawing up plans to shift more civil servants outside of London by locating new government bodies in other regions. One ally of Mr Johnson said: “We’re talking about some of the new bodies we want to establish rather than simply moving existing Whitehall departments out of London.”

According to the Financial Times, an advanced science agency is expected to be one of several quangos established outside of the capital. Other new government bodies promised include a “single enforcement body” to uphold after Brexit what Mr Johnson claims will be the highest employment standards in the world.

There is speculation in Whitehall that a borders and immigration department could be created to oversee postbrexit immigration, while industries including fisheries will need government bodies to take on work currently done in Brussels. Ministers are also looking to set up an “MIT of the north”, modelled on Boston’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in order to train more scientists.