It’s better equipped than London to sympathise with the economic realities of what is going on in cities far closer.
Communities have been ignored. Crime has not been taken seriously. Investment opportunities have been missed.
Max Caller, the inspector who brought change to Tower Hamlets, has been sent in to the city. The Government could take control.
That part of England where the Tories are most hated has offered the greatest possible cooperation with Boris Johnson.
It is a bad sign both for the Government and devolution that the Greater Manchester Mayor has been able to run rings round Ministers.
Plus: Free school meals, Pointless Celebrities, Bower’s book And: “Did the honourable lady just call me scum?” Your chance to drink to that.
In this battle between optimism and pessimism, hope and fear, faith and scepticism, Starmer found it hard to sow seeds of negativity.
Rob Stark meets a bloody end in Game of Thrones. But he won every battle he fought first – and the Greater Manchester Mayor is following his example.
The policy will make the country less competitive on the world stage. Indeed, it’ll be the only one in Europe not offering VAT-free shopping.
There have been 20,000 fewer GP referrals to hospital in Bolton compared to last year. We need a full assessment from Ministers of the national situation.
The duplicity from the Mayor of Greater Manchester amounts to a dire failure of leadership.
Joe Anderson, Liverpool’s Mayor, and other city council leaders in the north have joined together to say that they “do not support further economic lockdowns”.
Clearly the Government’s model is flawed. But there is no perfect formula for solving this crisis.
Most Tory MPs will be seeing large increases in the housing targets for their seats, while many Labour MPs see their local targets reduced.
The Centre for Social Justice’s new report sets out in detail how the programme could be increased from 2,000 to 16,500 places.