For far, far too long Downing Street dithered and delayed crucial decisions. Ministers need to commit to selling the agreed policy before its too late.
During the weeks and months ahead, Conservative MPs will need to use their heads as well as their hearts to reach the Brexit winning line.
But more money and powers need to be given directly to the North to drive further progress.
We must ensure that, just as the UK voted Leave to take back control, local people take back control themselves.
The myth has it that there never was such a plan – in fact, DexEU had a proposal to fulfil its promise of no ‘hard border’ while still overseeing a proper customs regime.
In a balanced economy, the north would produce around £70 billion more. Here is one way to help close that gap.
This type of relationship would reflect the existing pattern of UK-EU trade. It is a compromise that should win support amongst pragmatists.
As so many elections have shown in the past, both the main parties only win elections when they move into the centre.
The first in a three-part ConHome mini-series on the Tory revival in the area since the Mayoral election of last May.
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.
But a vote on some form of customs union is coming. Might it become a confidence issue?
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.
“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.”
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.
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.