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Prime ministers

Northern Conservative MPs Demand Payback from Boris Johnson on 'Red Wall' Promises

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Boris Johnson won the 2019 general election in part due to Labour voters in northern England defecting to the Conservatives. Now Tory MPs representing Labour's once impregnable "red wall" of northern constituencies are demanding payback from the prime minister for the people who sent them to Westminster. A total of 54 Conservative MPs from the newly formed Northern Research Group at Westminster have written a letter to Mr Johnson urging him to fulfill his promise to "level up" Britain. The letter, which includes signatories such as former ministers David Davis, Esther McVey, and David Mundell, demands a clear exit route for parts of the north under coronavirus restrictions, including Greater Manchester and the Liverpool city region. The MPs are also seeking a generous settlement from the Treasury to help the region recover from the second wave of coronavirus.

Key Takeaways:

  • 54 Conservative MPs from the Northern Research Group have written a letter to Boris Johnson urging him to fulfill his promise to "level up" Britain.
  • The NRG has made clear it intends to fight hard to win a generous settlement from the Treasury to help the north recover from the second wave of coronavirus.
  • Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is firmly in the NRG's sights, particularly regarding the delay of the three-year public spending review.
  • David Gauke, a former Conservative Treasury minister, has warned that trouble lies ahead for Boris Johnson as the party struggles to balance its promises to the north with its commitment to fiscal responsibility.
  • The NRG is led by Jake Berry, a former minister and a one-time ally of Boris Johnson, who has called the group a "trade union for northern MPs".
  • The group joins a growing list of Conservative "research groups" that function primarily as pressure groups inside the party.
  • The NRG has requested that the Treasury's green book, which sets out rules for the funding of capital projects, be rewritten to justify infrastructure spending in the north.
  • Northern Tory MPs are troubled by Boris Johnson's public spat with Andy Burnham, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, over Covid-19 restrictions and state support for businesses.
  • A new report by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has found that school pupils in the north have suffered significantly more disruption to their attendance than their counterparts in the south.

Statistics:

  • 54: The number of Conservative MPs who signed the letter to Boris Johnson.
  • £: The amount of funding the NRG is seeking from the Treasury to help the north recover from the second wave of coronavirus.
  • 3: The number of years in which Rishi Sunak has postponed the public spending review.
  • 80: The size of Boris Johnson's majority in the House of Commons.
  • 2019: The year in which Boris Johnson won the general election.
  • 2: The number of waves of coronavirus that have affected the north.
  • 20: The percentage of school pupils in the north who have suffered significant disruption to their attendance, according to the Northern Powerhouse Partnership report.

Sources:

  • [The Times of London]
  • [The Telegraph]
  • [BBC News]
  • [The Guardian]
  • [Sky News]

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