Jonathan Werran: More rail investment won’t lead to recovery without more local governance

The final piece in a ConservativeHome mini-series this week on the railways after Covid.

“We have been terrific at pure research, and useless at translational research.” What our industrial strategy should aim to change.

The best way of thinking about it isn’t to fix one’s gaze on direct subsidies, but to look wider – at our failure to turn British ideas into British prosperity.

ConservativeHome presents ‘The North’s Economic Recovery – an evening with the NRG’

Our next live online event features Jake Berry, Dehenna Davison and John Stevenson, leading lights of the Northern Research Group.

Paul Howell: CCHQ North will only work if party members feel real ownership of it

We need a dedicated campaign team, treasurers to build a fighting fund, a mechanism for MPs to feed in ideas – and a Northern Party Board.

Katherine Fletcher: Green Northern Powerhouse, anyone? It’s a big yes from me.

The Government is committed to both levelling up and continuing the UK’s leadership in tackling climate change. Both must happen together.

“Seriously concerning.” “A Gordon Brown-style budget”. Centre-right think tanks resist the Budget’s main platform.

But some free marketeers are concerned about the huge borrowing rise and the reliance on “bureaucrats picking winners.”

WATCH: Barclay is asked for his “gut feeling” on whether HS2 will go ahead. “Yes.”

Marr puts the argument to the Brexit Secretary that the project’s costs are running out of control.

Ali Demirbag: A post-Brexit visa regime must encourage the brightest and the best to travel to the UK on business

We need to control long-term immigration but also make it easier for entrepreneurs to visit the UK so that they can invest in and work with British companies.

Andrew Smith: The next Conservative Government can deliver for the North by investing in regeneration.

I hope that we will see more of the Chancellor during the campaign explaining how his plans can help support investment to boost productivity.

Robert Halfon: Old Etonian Johnson now drives a white van

Raising national insurance, fewer “sin taxes”, public sector pay rises, more schools spending – all are part of his programme.

Anthony Browne: Policy Gains from Brexit 5) Making regional development more effective

The then EU Budget Commissioner told me that giving control of this funding to national governments would make it subject to “democratic whim”.

Neva Sadikoglu-Novaky and Jonathan Werran: Brexit gives the chance to have full fiscal devolution. Let’s take it.

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.

Jake Berry: What I found on my Northern Powerhouse tour. Resilience, skill, innovation and success. Plus an appetite for Brexit.

But more money and powers need to be given directly to the North to drive further progress.

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.

James Frayne: Onward, the new think-tank, is rightly focused on what matters to provincial Britain

It would be easy, but mistaken, to take the path of least resistance and simply re-enact the dated Cameron ‘modernising’ agenda.