Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will identify the 20 constituencies most in need of levelling up; and if he will make it his policy to deliver investment to strengthen local economies and increase the employment rate and average wage in those areas.

The Government’s levelling up agenda aims to spread opportunity and investment across every region and nation of the UK. We will deliver this pledge by boosting jobs, wages and prospects for all communities. In light of Covid-19, the government has introduced unprecedented support for businesses, households and workers, and local economies across the UK to protect them against the current economic crisis.

Furthermore, at the Budget, the government announced policies that will benefit places most in need, including additional funding for skills and job support, launching the prospectus for the Community Renewal Fund and the first round of the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, to invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and support economic recovery.