North-South gap doubles despite levelling-up pledge

Think tank IPPR North analysed ONS data to uncover the true spending picture since the prime minister made his promise

- ROB MERRICK

The gap in public spending between London and the North has doubled since Boris Johnson came to power, despite his pledge to "level up" the country, new figures reveal. The capital has surged ahead of England's poorest region in terms of cash handed out by the government - proving that "the money simply didn't follow the rhetoric", according to the think tank behind the analysis.

The data also shows that, three years after the prime minister stood outside No 10 and vowed to level up the nation, public spending in the North has now fallen behind the average for England. Labour said the findings were "scandalous", but the UK's regional inequalities have barely featured in the Conservative leadership contest, which has instead been dominated by discussion of tax cuts and hardline policies on immigration.

IPPR North, which carried out the study, warned Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak that "votes lent to their party" at the 2019 election cannot be taken for granted if the levelling-up promise is allowed to fail. "If candidates hope to serve for longer than their recent predecessors, they should listen to the North and make unlocking the region's significant potential their personal priority," said Ryan Swift, a researcher for the think tank.

A spokesperson for the Northern Research Group (NRG) of Conservative MPs said the analysis highlighted "the biggest issue facing our new prime minister". "We were elected with a mandate to level up the entire UK, and this is what we must deliver," the influential group said. "The NRG are pleased that both candidates have signed up to our pledges, meaning both are fully committed to a levelling-up fund, a minister for the North, and greater devolution."