'Our message is clear, when North thrives, the country thrives'

EXCITEMENT was etched on the faces of regional leaders in Leeds as eight northern mayors shared the stage to launch The Great North.

- By DANIEL HODGSON

Taking inspiration and some branding from the Great North Run, mayors stretching from Liverpool to the North East and everywhere in between spoke about this new project and what it will mean for the 15 million residents in the North of England.

After speeches from the North East Mayor, the Deputy Prime Minister and the founder of the Great North Run, regional mayors including Ben Houchen took to the stage for a Q&A session.

The event aims to unlock the North's economic potential in key sectors including clean energy, defence and advanced manufacturing, as well as creative industries.

The new organisation is set to lead international trade missions on pan-Northern investment propositions.

As all eight northern metro mayors answered questions, with multiple touching on how this project was going to be different to past schemes that were devised to benefit the North, as The Great North was not being imposed by those in the Westminster “bubble”, but instead has been designed by those who live, breathe and understand the North.

Heading up The Great North is North East Mayor Kim McGuinness. At the event, she spoke of national journalists who get on a train from London, visit the North and “tell half-a-story about under-investment and run down places’, before returning to their “bubble”.

She added: “Rarely, do they stick around for the pride that people feel and the ambition that we have in the North.