Burnley MP welcomes 'Northern Big Bang' investment calls

A report launched on Monday by the Centre for Policy Studies and the Northern Research Group of MPs says more investment is needed to "level up" the economy and boost the North.

Rossendale MP Jake Berry, Chairman of the Northern Research Group, and Nick King, CPS Research Fellow and former Government advisor, have called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to mirror the radicalism of Thatcher’s "Big Bang" in the 80s.

They want him to reward the voters who lent him their vote and contributed to the Conservative majority in 2019.

Their views have been backed by Northern Powerhouse chief Henri Murison who agrees that billions of pounds of private investment should be unleashed to boost the North.

“I and so many of my colleagues were elected on a clear promise to Level Up across the country and nowhere is that more important than the North. We have always been the engine of UK manufacturing and with Brexit now delivered, we have an incredible opportunity to turbo-charge that - boosting business investment in Burnley and the wider region.

"To do that though we need to be thinking radically about what we do and how we do it, including how we incentivise investment and job creation. This report gives some clear examples of what those measures could look like and I'll continue to engage with the Chancellor and Prime Minister to make sure we use the opportunity now available to us."