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.

Battlegrounds Revisited 9) The North East

The results here find the Tories struggling to break through, but also a strong indication of the rewards should they do so.

The Election Battleground 9) The North East

The latest piece in our series on the marginals features some intense battles – including Stockton South.

Ten Labour councillors in Redcar and Cleveland resign from the Party

This mass exodus means Labour have lost control of the council.

80 City Seats Initiative constituencies open for candidate applications

Candidates can apply to 22 “clusters” of seats across the country.

Lord Oakeshott, more Scooby Doo villain than Moriarty, helps Clegg by trying to destroy him

Doing nothing at all may well have been more successful than trying to bump off the Lib Dem leader like this.