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Johnson should repay north of England voters with private investment – repor

Research argues ministers should create economic ‘big bang’ for area that turned Tory in last election
The prime minister should repay voters in the north of England who lent the Conservatives their vote at the last election by unleashing billions of pounds of private investment, according to a report.
It argues that ministers should aim to harness the “restless radicalism” from those who voted for Brexit in 2016 and the Conservatives in 2019 by creating an economic “big bang”, along the lines of the Thatcherite deregulation of the City in the 1980s which reinforced London’s position as a global financial centre.
The report from the influential rightwing Centre for Policy Studies thinktank is produced with the Northern Research group, a group of Conservative MPs who represent northern England, the Scottish borders and north Wales.
It says the transformation of the north of England from an industrial powerhouse to an area that includes huge deprivation and one of the least productive economies in Europe has led to voters tired of being neglected and ignored. Prescribing a “deluge of private sector investment” in the north, both from Britain and overseas, would match the special treatment awarded to the south-east for generations.
Citing Nissan’s investment in manufacturing in Sunderland as an example of one of the UK’s most successful examples of regeneration, the report’s authors argue that a formula of colossal private investment supported and enabled by government is the solution for replicating it.
Recommendations to make the north “one of the most investable places on the planet” include cash incentives for major investors and creating a new northern infrastructure bond aimed at global investors. An example given is encouraging investment into new giga-factories, which would help make northern England the “natural home for the Green Industrial Revolution”, the report argues.
All projects funded through the new national infrastructure bank, which is to be based in the north, should prioritise private sector investment, the paper, which is partly funded by Lloyds Banking Group, says.
The report also advocates slashing red tape to allow automatic approval for planning applications that create more than 100 permanent new jobs in the north and a fast-track process for investors planning to put £20m into the local economy, or whose investment will create more than 250 jobs.
The report, co-authored by Jake Berry MP, a former northern powerhouse minister and Nick King, a former adviser to Sajid Javid, calls for a new northern growth board to advise and help steer investment.
Berry, the chair of the Northern Research Group, said the prime minister needed to recognise that the millions of northern voters who broke tradition to vote for the Conservatives at the last election were not just voting for Brexit, but to “voice the systemic disadvantages felt in many communities that were tired of being neglected in favour of London and the south-east”.
“The measures we have put forward will help the prime minister and this government to ‘level up’ the economy and help make the north build back better as one of the most investable places in modern times”, he said.
The paper points out that public investment is heavily tilted towards regions which are already thriving. King, a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, said the government had already taken steps to invest in infrastructure but that only the private sector could bring the scale of investment and dynamism that the north needed.
“There is a huge amount of domestic and global capital ready to be invested. Our recommendations are designed to make the north of England one of the most investable places on the planet and to unleash this capital through a northern ‘big bang’,” he said.
source: Reuters
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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