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The Northern Powerhouse was a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010–15 coalition government and 2015–2016 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the "Core Cities" of Hull, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.[1] The proposal was based on the benefits of agglomeration and aimed to reposition the British economy away from London and the South East, where most of the UK's wealth was historically concentrated. The spatial footprint of the Northern Powerhouse was defined as the 11 local enterprise partnership areas of the North of England.[2]
The proposal involved improvement to transport links,[3] investment in science and innovation, and devolution of powers in City Deals.[4] Former MP for Stockton South James Wharton was appointed as minister responsible for the proposal in May 2015.[5] A 2018 investigation by The Guardian indicated he rarely left London to visit the northern areas, however.[6]
In October 2015, during General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping's visit to the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Northern Powerhouse proposal had "Chinese backing".[7]
Under the government of Theresa May who became Prime Minister in July 2016, it was alleged that the focus on the North was to be downgraded into a nationwide agenda for boosting productivity outside the south-east.[8] However, this was subsequently refuted by Theresa May who pledged to "help the great cities and towns of the North pool their strengths and take on the world".[9]
In September 2016, one of the main architects of the Northern Powerhouse project, Lord O'Neill, resigned from the Government and quit the Conservative benches in the upper house.[10]
- ^ "The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom. March 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "SQW :: Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review". sqw.co.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "High-speed rail link needed to boost north – Osborne". BBC News. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "Chancellor: 'We need a Northern powerhouse' (speech transcript)". Government of the United Kingdom. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Staff writer (12 May 2015). "MP James Wharton's handed 'northern powerhouse' ministerial role". BBC News (Tees). Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Stokel-Walker, Chris (27 September 2018). "£40k spent hiding how rarely northern powerhouse minister visited north". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ "Northern Powerhouse project has 'Chinese backing' – David Cameron". BBC News. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ Mance, Henry; Bounds, Andrew (2 August 2016). "Theresa May shifts focus from 'Northern Powerhouse'". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ Staff writer (19 August 2016). "Theresa May backs Osborne's 'Northern Powerhouse'". BBC News. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Staff writer (23 September 2016). "Northern Powerhouse champion resigns from Government". ITV News. ITV Tyne Tees. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
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