It is much more than its main urban areas. So the restrictions feel really unfair to some – such as those I know in County Durham.
Plus: How I was booed in Birmingham. On to Nottingham…via Exeter. And: who would I vote for, if I had a vote?
The Party cannot be one of the South and of the countryside if it is to engage with voters – and to win.
Through tax competition, we could truly have a real Northern Powerhouse and give cities in the north a fairer chance against London and the south east.
Remember where we are; remember what has come down to us. Our unique heritage is there to be opened up.
The second part of our series this week on May’s elections, moving on to the metropolitan areas that are electing in thirds.
Nicky Morgan’s department is the untouched by devolution – yet it can make the biggest difference in creating the Northern Powerhouse,