Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including a budget for the north of England as part of the levelling up policy.

The government is committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK, and we will deliver this pledge by boosting jobs, wages and prospects for all communities so that everybody gets the same access to opportunities in life. To ensure that government investment flows to the places most in need, including in the North of England, the Government is changing the way it delivers for local areas to ensure national policy-making is sensitive to the needs of places. This includes setting up a new infrastructure bank headquartered in the North, through refreshing the Green Book and the Places for Growth programme which will relocate 22,000 civil service roles out of London and the South East by 2030.