Levelling-up policy of the Conservative government

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"Levelling up" is a political policy first articulated in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto that aims to reduce the imbalances, primarily economic, between areas and social groups across the United Kingdom. It seeks to do so without acting to the detriment of prosperous areas, such as much of South East England.^[1] A white paper for the policy was published by Boris Johnson's government on 2 February 2022, and was continued by Rishi Sunak's government.^[2] The policy was overseen by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The concept of levelling up has bipartisan support. Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, said in October 2022 that a future Labour government would "pick up the challenge of levelling up", but that his party believed only they would be able to deliver it, calling Johnson's plan to deliver levelling up "an empty slogan".^[3]

After the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, the phrase was replaced with "local government" in department names and ministerial titles.^[4]