General Election 2024: Has politics given up on levelling up?

In 2019, Boris Johnson took a bulldozer to the Red Wall, snatching victory in seats long seen as Labour heartlands.

Penistone and Stocksbridge, Don Valley, Ashfield, Bolsover and Great Grimsby were among the constituencies that cemented the Tories’ win.

In return, voters were promised two things by the then prime minister: that he would "get Brexit done" and that the country would be "levelled up", that's to say that investment and opportunity would become more evenly spread.

While the first of those pledges was fulfilled (in the strictest sense at least), what became of levelling up?

The initial idea was to create a "Northern Powerhouse", improving transport links between cities like Leeds and Sheffield, Manchester and Hull to ignite regional growth.

• Charanpreet Khaira explains how the Red Wall collapsed in 2019

In 2019, "Northern Powerhouse" was mentioned 232 times in Parliament. By 2023, that number plummeted to 78.

"Levelling up" remains a buzz phrase, but has it become all but meaningless?

A cornerstone of the Northern Powerhouse idea, HS2, was axed by Rishi Sunak last October. Instead, levelling up has shifted to smaller local projects, which some feel has sidestepped the real issues.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: "Just doing a few odd projects here and there is not going to cut it - you need to do much more what was originally promised 10 years ago with the Northern Powerhouse."

• Henry Murison from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership says there's still a lot more to do to level up the North

While he acknowledges there’s been progress in the Humber and West Yorkshire, he insists much more is needed to boost regional economies and productivity.

IPPR North predicts it’ll be 2080 before the North catches up with the South East in healthy life expectancy. Disparities in government spending persist, with Yorkshire and the Humber receiving £1,355 per head next year, compared to London’s £2,074 and the South West’s £2,510.

In Leeds, residents say levelling up is “just a buzzword.” One woman told us: "It doesn’t mean anything. Things are getting worse, not better.”

This disillusionment is seeping into views about the General Election, with many doubting politics can make a difference.

• People in Leeds have their say on levelling up

A voter at the Lincolnshire Show lamented, "all that the ‘general election’ means is that they’re just going to be concerned about the South. The North is a big place too.”

Another told us he wished politicians would "just remember we exist.”

In Ashfield, mechanic Rezgar Naby said he feels economic benefits promised to the region as a result of Brexit have failed to materialise.

He said: "Before they come to power they advertise, they manifest, they say ‘oh we can do this, we can do that, we're going to create jobs or cut taxes', but once they come to power, that’s it. Just like Brexit - promised a lot of things, but nothing happened.”

Adding to the frustration, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer clashed in debates in Grimsby and York but but have focused the majority of their campaign visits away from our region.

Some voters feel Red Wall seats, crucial in 2019, are being taken for granted.

Early in the campaign, there was talk of Boris Johnson making a comeback to rally support in these areas. But a Tory strategist told The Times, "What’s the point of sending him to the Red Wall when we’re fighting to defend 150 seats in the South? This campaign is about survival, not winning new seats."

That sentiment has left a bad taste in some Tory campaigners’ mouths - but it’s not great for voters either.

Labour, seeing less competition, also appears less motivated to focus resources in these areas.

In a region that’s home to one third of the UK constituencies with lowest voter turnout in the 2019 General Election, that lack of engagement is a problem.

What do the main parties say about levelling up?

• The Conservatives say they’re still committed to levelling up so that people around the country have the opportunity to “stay local and go far.” They have announced £20m of funding for local regeneration projects in 30 more towns, including Halifax. They have also said they would offer more powers to regional mayors, to empower communities through devolution.

• Labour describe levelling up as an “empty promise” by the Tories. They promise to introduce “landmark devolution legislation” to give regional mayors and their combined authorities greater powers. They say local leaders, businesses and colleges would be involved in creating Local Growth Plans for towns and cities, which would "identify growth sectors and put in place the programmes and infrastructure they need to thrive."

• The Lib Dems vow to champion investment in the Northern Powerhouse and support regional economic partnerships. They plan to establish a joint council to oversee the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and other levelling up funding, working with combined authorities and councils across the UK.

• Reform UK say they would fast-track new housing on brownfield sites and infrastructure projects to support businesses, particularly in the North of England and "coastal regeneration areas."

• The Yorkshire Party would establish a Yorkshire regional parliament elected by and representative of its residence. They say this would help the county get a “better, fairer” deal, with more funding from Westminster.

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