Michael Crick: The Royal Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. How does that sound?

Only nine communities in England have royal status as conferred by the monarch – and none are further north than Sutton Coldfield.

Daniel Hannan: A Levelling Up Fund will not, on its own, turn Sunderland into Singapore. Localism will take us closer, though.

We left the EU precisely to take back control. Having repatriated power, we mustn’t leave it in the hands of Whitehall functionaries.

Sorry, Matthew, but there’s a Centre Party already – Johnson’s Conservatives

The centre isn’t where he or ConservativeHome or anyone else wants it to be. It’s where it is – “Far From Notting Hill”.

Dowden, a David for our times, sees off the footballing Goliath. By whispering “boo!” At which the giant bursts into tears.

The Culture Secretary deserves a gold-plated edition of the Bluffers’ Guide to Politics, and must feel this morning like the proverbial dog with two cocks.

Ben Bradley: I will not be undertaking unconscious bias training – and call on my colleagues to take the same stand

Not only is this type of ‘education’ a nonsense, but the taxpayer will have to pick up the bill for it.

Ben Houchen: Freeports are a key priority for the North

Creating these low tax zones, where importing and exporting are made easy, wouldn’t just mean new jobs. It would show a long term commitment to our new supporters.

Ben Bradley: Voters tore down the Red Wall because they were sick of Labour talking down to them and holding them back

That doesn’t mean they are all suddenly hardcore Tories. For many we were the least-worst option. But we have an opportunity to win their trust.

Election Battlegrounds 5) The North East

This region contains a string of those ‘Labour Leave’ seats which are central to the Tory strategy – but will the Brexit Party trip them up?

Local elections 2) The contest with Labour. A mixed bag for the Opposition to the very end. They gain Gravesham.

They’ll bank what good news they can get, but net losses of councillors and authorities is not what they had hoped for.

Jade Smith: The Mighty Redcar – my town, let down by the Labour Party

We haven’t had it easy, but we are resilient and resourceful. Our appetite for change is bad news for the party that took us for granted.

Interview: Ben Houchen – Teesside will show how Britain can thrive after Brexit

In the second piece in our three-part mini-series, the Mayor tells ConservativeHome that freeport status can transform the area.

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.

Nick Faith: Four lessons from last June’s election for the Conservatives

They include both the working class vote being up for grabs…and the Party adapting to the changing nature of modern Britain.

Jarrow goes blue! But May loses her seat! Yet it’s a Tory landslide! The amazing 2020 General Election.

We present dismissible projections drawn from last June’s results…and some electoral trends that are not so dismissible.

Steel yourself until June

Soubry blames Cable, Cable blames his successors – and Pursglove argues that the threat to Tata jobs proves that we should leave the EU.