George Osborne to warn Theresa May she risks depriving the North of a £100 billion boost if she dithers over Northern Powerhouse
The former Chancellor will say on Friday that “we are at a turning point” for the North and demand urgent attention for schools, skills and connectivity
GEORGE Osborne has warned Theresa May she risks depriving the North of a £100 billion boost if she dithers over the Northern Powerhouse.
In a second thinly veiled threat to the PM over his dream project in five months the former Chancellor will tomorrow say “we are at a turning point” for the North of England.
He will call for urgent attention for schools, skills and connectivity. And he will warn that unless the Government takes the opportunity, the North will fall “further behind”.
The speech will come just two days after the ex-Chancellor said Theresa May’s Brexit plan was failing to “prioritise” the economy.
Speaking in Leeds, the Tory heavy hitter will say: “Now we are at a turning point for the North of England.
“We can either make use of the momentum behind the Northern Powerhouse to really close the north/south gap – or we can let the moment pass.
“Across the political parties we’ve worked on a common approach. It starts with the listening we’ve been doing to be voices of many Northern businesses and civic institutions over recent months.”
The speech comes alongside publication of the first report by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. George Osborne launched the think tank as chairman in September after being axed from the Cabinet by Theresa May – and said he feared Mrs May was having a “wobble”.
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The PM has insisted the whole machinery of government backs the project set up by Mr Osborne when he was in No.11. Today’s report will insist education levels have to improve across the North, given a worrying cap in the number of good and outstanding schools compared with the South.
It will also call for faster journey times for the North to become a leading European region for “ultra-fast” fibre to premises broadband.
The partnership will also insist businesses in the region have to do more to tell investors about what can be achieved – and to “become a magnet for people looking to invest”.
Mr Osborne will say: “The Northern Powerhouse is real and together we can transform the economy of the North of England.”