Turns out that Boris Johnson & his government were lying about "levelling-up" too!
England’s north-south divide continues to deepen: the south-east is home to one-third of the UK population, but now accounts for 45% of its economy & 42% of its wealth.
theguardian.com/society/2022/j…
In the five years to 2019/20, London received the equivalent of £12,147 per person, while in the north the figure was only £8,125.
The stark disparities will fuel concerns among “red wall” Tory MPs that the govt’s "flagship policy" is just another cheap, manipulative, slogan.
If investment in the north had matched that in London over the five years from 2014/15, it would have meant an extra £61bn of spending in areas such as transport, infrastructure & skills. Rishi Sunak has effectively capped the main levelling-up fund at £4.8bn for this parliament.
Critics say that investment in the north is a drop in the ocean after decades of underinvestment & 10 years of #austerity cuts.
Despite the 2008 crash, successive governments in Germany have spent an average of €70bn a year reducing regional divides since reunification in 1990.
"Central govt simply hasn’t put its money where its mouth is... Levelling up will be consigned to the list of hollow, unmet promises made to people in regions like the north for a long time now, if it isn’t underpinned by investment &, crucially, fiscal devolution.” - IPPR North.
The last six years SHOULD have taught voters TWO important lessons:
1 Cheap slogans, lies, & divisive rhetoric win elections: voters must look beyond them.
2 @Conservatives will lie & say whatever it takes to get elected, then break their promises, & treat voters with contempt.
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