Levelling up plans revealed

"I have the perfect story to show how the 'levelling up' spiel will change precisely nothing without some pretty huge changes. I was talking to a good friend of mine who now works for a 'tech startup' mortgage broker that has received a couple of million pounds funding to set up and get established. No disrespect for what they do, they do it well and I'm genuinely pleased things are going so well for my friend. But at the same time our business in Derbyshire has grown in two years to the point we do more mortgage applications a month than some of these 'tech start-ups' and are more profitable (many won't ever make a profit) with no outside help at all. My own personal capital, my home and my friendships put on the line to try and grow what I hope is the best business I can. Rinse and repeat that story across the country and across most industries. I'm not bitter, I love what we're building here at Peak and I'm enjoying the process, but I do think 'what could we accomplish with that sort of financial support and a level playing field?'. With all the money to invest in great businesses and start-ups getting hoovered up by the flashy firms inside the M25 those regional divides just continue to get bigger and bigger."

"As a proud "Boltonian" and small business owner I applaud any effort to level up more deprived parts of the UK, like there are here in Bolton. However, the plan doesn't seem to include anything too radical or much different from existing efforts. It also fails to address major economic issues such as poor transport connections between towns and cities, or criminal gangs causing misery for millions."

"The fact the government is at least recognising the extreme geographical inequality in the UK can only be a good thing. Eliminating illiteracy and innumeracy is long overdue; it's scandalous how many young people in this country can not do simple math without the aid of a calculator. It's a massive failure of our education system. The investments in public transport outside the capital, 5G broadband, R&D and skills training are also to be welcomed. Without it, many regions of England will struggle to attract inward investment. Other ideas like 'improving well-being' seem vague, almost like they've been bolted on, late at night, over a warm beer. And 'creating' more first time buyers? Typically the government has put the cart before the horse, desperate as it is to maintain the absurd level of house prices in this country. We need to create cheaper housing first, by building more homes and making speculative property investment more expensive."

"I can’t help but feel we are listening to a sixth former at public school talking up their head boy manifesto. Ultimately a load of waffle and underhand promises to pass on contracts to his mates with no evaluation of past effectiveness on promises made by the exiting prefects. I wouldn’t be surprised if old Etonian Tom Parker-Bowles is tasked with writing scathing online reviews of school dinners to diminish the lockdown legacy of obese children. It’s what they eat at home and the re-education of parents that’s the issue, not if one's suckling pig has been prepared to perfection."

Pob can take his plans and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine. The great British public have had enough of dead cats and empty words. The sooner him and his ilk are thrown from office the better. They have done nothing but systematically destroy this country over the last 12 years. We deserve better.