Manchester

The North of England has significantly underperformed the UK economy as a whole over the last century. Closing the productivity gap could add hundreds of billions of pounds to our economy and boost living standards for all. Nonetheless, Greater Manchester has arguably been one of the country's growth success stories in the last ten years, with its economy growing at a faster rate than the nation as a whole, but there is still a long way to go to plug the gap.

Our relative success is, in no small part, down to the trailblazing devolution deal that transferred powers from Westminster, back into the hands of local council leaders and the mayor of Greater Manchester. Local leaders are much closer to the issues that affect their residents, and better able to target resources for the greatest returns. Transferring as much power as we can from Whitehall to local leaders will be key if we are to deliver growth across the country.

Whilst Greater Manchester has shown what can be achieved, this is only the beginning. We can and must go further! Public transport infrastructure in the north still lags behind that in the south, with outdated rolling stock, limited capacity and many suburban stations served by only one train an hour. It is often still too difficult to get critical infrastructure built, and we impose too many barriers on those looking to start a business.

By building on the foundations that have already been put in place, we can make greater Manchester into a truly global city and an unbeatable place to live.