Rishi Sunak paid a visit to the North East today and pledged to support levelling up the region.
Amid his campaign to be the next Prime Minister, Mr Sunak travelled to Teesside where he pledged to ensure that the North remains at the forefront of Government thinking.
Mr Sunak met with Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen at Teesworks, near Redcar, where he said he will support Mr Houchen's plan for economic growth in the area, if he is named as the next Tory leader. Mr Houchen has also now given his backing to the former Chancellor in the Conservative leadership race.
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Earlier this week, Mr Houchen wrote to all the leadership candidates asking them to sign up to his five-point Levelling Up Pledge. This includes key commitments that will ensure red wall and "left behind areas remain at the forefront of Government thinking and do not suffer because of the change of Prime Minister".
On Saturday's visit to the Teesworks site, which is home to a huge swathe of the Teesside Freeport, Mr Sunak was able to see the progress that has been made transforming the site, including ongoing work to build the first part of the 1km South Bank Quay. The quay project is a fundamental part of the regions ambitions to be an offshore wind powerhouse and was funded by a £107m loan from the British Infrastructure Bank, the first ever deal done by the bank.
As Chancellor, Mr Sunak opened the first ever Treasury campus outside of London in Darlington, supported the creation of freeports, and was also behind the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, which has kickstarted local projects across the region.
Rishi Sunak MP said: "This campaign is about more than who will be the leader of our next Government - it's about who can bring our country together. We have been through a lot over the past few years, but there are more challenges to come.
"I believe I'm the candidate who can do that, bring opportunity and prosperity in northern powerhouses like Teesside, and restore trust in Government, so we can rebuild our economy together."
If elected Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has pledged to:
- retain a Cabinet-level Secretary of State responsible for levelling up
- ensure that every part of England that wants a devolution deal gets one
- give Mayoral Combined Authorities greater flexibility on Business Rates
- look further at the devolution of post-16 education
- ensure the Treasury delivers on levelling up, keeping the Green Book under review (e.g. the Treasury's guidance on how to evaluate policies, projects and programmes)
- work with Mr Houchen and other local leaders on the future of transport investments, including Northern Powerhouse Rail, which have the potential to deliver new capacity and faster journey times.
Speaking during a visit to Teesside, Mr Sunak also insisted inflation must be brought under control before the Government can cut taxes. It comes after a clash with Tory leadership contenders Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss in the first televised debate of the contest on Friday night, where he rounded on his rivals saying proposals to raise borrowing to pay for tax cuts were a "fairytale".
Today he doubled down on his message saying the priority had to be curbing spiralling prices. He said: "I think the number one economic priority we face as a country is inflation.
"I want to get a grip of inflation because inflation is what makes everybody poorer."
"If we don't get a grip of it now it will last longer and that is not a good thing.
"Once we've done that, I will deliver tax cuts."
Mr Houchen said: "Rishi has long been a friend of the North, and has a record of delivery for the region. I am delighted to give him my backing to become the leader of our Party and the next Prime Minister of our great nation.
"During his time in Government, Rishi showed unwavering support for Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool. As Chancellor, he played a huge role in the transformation of our region. The relocation of civil service jobs from London to Darlington is giving local people the opportunity to forge rewarding careers in the heart of Government, without having to leave the place they call home.
"The introduction of freeports also allowed us to set up the Teesside Freeport, the biggest and first operational freeport in the UK. This has enabled us to attract billions of pounds worth of investment, and create thousands of jobs for local workers."
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