Northern Tories fear election wipeout as leadership candidates appear ready to drop levelling up policy

‘People would see that as a promise broken and a job half done, and they would vote accordingly’

(Getty/Reuters)

Senior Conservatives across the north of England are growing increasingly concerned that the government’s flagship levelling up policy will be dropped by whoever becomes the party’s new leader.

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen and Jake Berry, chair of the party’s Northern Research Group in parliament, have both separately warned that the huge red wall gains made at the last election will be lost without an ongoing strategy for the region.

They have separately written to all candidates demanding commitments on investment and greater powers for the area.

But almost a week on from Boris Johnson’s resignation, none of the eight remaining runners and riders to replace him have yet offered any concrete pledges – or even views – on the outgoing PM’s flagship policy.

The fear is that “levelling up” has become a politically toxic term because of its association with Mr Johnson and that the entire initiative may be dropped as a result.

Now, Conservatives in the north fear that such action could lead to defeat at the next election with swathes of the traditionally Labour seats that voted blue in 2019 turning red once again.

“I don’t particularly care if the term ‘levelling up’ is kept or not because I’m not convinced it caught on with the public anyway,” says Dr Anthony Mullen, the leader of the Tories on Sunderland City Council. “But if nothing comes in to replicate what it was trying to do – improve investment and civic pride in these great northern cities and towns – then people will see that as a promise broken and a job half done, and they will vote accordingly.”

In Bury – where the Conservative constituency of Bury North is the most marginal in the country – Russell Bernstein, leader of the Tory group on the borough council, said that the party should be shouting about what levelling up had achieved.

“We’ve had in excess of £100m spent or promised here,” he reckoned.

But he added that if the policy was discontinued mid-term, the backlash from voters would be severe. “If we ride back now, it’s not going to go down well because this is something voters bought into and believe in,” he said.

Asked if he feared it was likely, he said not with his preferred candidate Tom Tugendhat.

But with others? “I’m less convinced all the candidates have that same commitment,” he replied without expanding on who he meant.

The growing disquiet comes after Mr Houchen – a much-admired figure among northern Tories – went public to reveal his own worries.

“It is absolutely a huge concern to me at the moment that we're not hearing anything from the contenders because I genuinely believe that the thing that got Boris Johnson his massive majority was obviously Brexit and his pitch to the country but also levelling up,” he told Channel Four news.

“Certainly to first-time Conservative voters, and people who voted Labour for generations, it is a hugely important thing.”

Meanwhile, Mr Berry – who is MP for Rossendale and Darwen – has written to each candidate suggesting that to win support from northern MPs, they must “commit” to a series of pledges including a new funding formula and a dedicated minister for the region.