Chris Walker: Supercharged Free Ports, the visionary way to boost the north of England’s economy

In a balanced economy, the north would produce around £70 billion more. Here is one way to help close that gap.

Stephen Booth: Our Brexit proposal. Integrate for goods, diverge for services.

This type of relationship would reflect the existing pattern of UK-EU trade. It is a compromise that should win support amongst pragmatists.

Richard Salt: If Conservatives want to win the next election, we must Think North

As so many elections have shown in the past, both the main parties only win elections when they move into the centre.

Simon Clarke: Teesside is experiencing an industrial renaissance – with Conservative optimism driving out Labour gloom

The first in a three-part ConHome mini-series on the Tory revival in the area since the Mayoral election of last May.

Stephen Booth: A possible Cabinet Brexit compromise is brewing. It would mean mirroring parts of the Customs Union.

When ministers meet at Chequers this week, they must find a solution to the seemingly intractable question of whether to align or diverge from the EU.

‘Partial’ customs union means paying a high price to be stuck in EU limbo

But a vote on some form of customs union is coming. Might it become a confidence issue?

WATCH: Houchen urges the UK to “capitalise on the opportunity” of Brexit to develop freeports

The Tees Valley mayor says his area was “left behind in the Blair and Brown years”, and this is a chance to rebalance the economy.

Robert Buckland: “We must speak the language of opportunity”. His lecture on Tory revival. Full text.

“The language should be that of giving people their chance to succeed and of being on their side – a “people politics” that many practice locally but which must be scaled up.”

Put aside the Westminster politics, and ask: on Brexit policy, is the Foreign Secretary right?

Britain could flourish under the minimalist WTO-type settlement that seems to be his bottom line. But it is not the optimal outcome, and threatens a significant downside.

Joe Egerton: Why we need a transition period of up to seven years

EURATOM, WTO quotas, open skies agreements, banks’ ability to lend – all these involve change which it may not be possible to effect by April 2019.

WATCH: Ici Londres – What can we say to those who lose out from free trade? asks Daniel Hannan

Many more may gain, but there are those who are understandably aggrieved nonetheless.

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower calamity – and regardless of it – asserting property rights is not enough

A Conservative MP has led the way in proposing how London could be rebalanced away from the super-rich and back towards the mass of its citizens.

Allie Renison: Government must listen to business when preparing for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit

The absence of a comprehensive agreement would not be apocalyptic, but it would involve many complexities.

What would WTO mean? 4) Lee Rotherham: Navigating tariffs and Rules of Origin

There are some risks to trade, but they should be rationalised and addressed rather than overhyped.

Marcus Fysh: The prospects are good for post-Brexit trade

Commentators underestimated our growth potential before the referendum – and some are still doing so.