DAVID Cameron has insisted Bradford can be part of his Northern Powerhouse and denied it has been neglected by his Government.

During Prime Minister’s Questions today, new Bradford West MP Naz Shah warned that the city risked being left out of ambitious plans to boost economies across the North.

The Labour MP criticised Mr Cameron for repeatedly failing to properly answer questions thrown at him during the weekly 30-minute sessions.

She said: “If he does, can he explain why my city of Bradford - which was the Northern Powerhouse of Great Britain - continues to be neglected within his plans for the region.”

But Mr Cameron hit back, saying: “Bradford should be part of this Northern Powerhouse, because the concept is linking up the great cities of the North of England and making the most of them.”

And he added: “In terms of neglecting Bradford, I would say quite the opposite.

“If you look at the spending power per dwelling that your local authority has, it is actually almost £2,300 - that is almost £300 more than the average for England.”

Mr Cameron has used those figures before to defend himself against claims that local authorities such as Bradford have been hardest hit by huge cuts to Government grants.

However, critics argue the “spending power” measure ignores much greater need for council services in inner-city areas and that Bradford’s higher figure is falling fast, anyway.

David Green, Bradford’s Labour leader, has warned the council must find £34 million of savings this year and a further £130m by 2020, on current projections.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron also took a swipe at defeated Bradford West Respect MP George Galloway, as he welcomed Ms Shah to Westminster.

He joked: “You replace someone who, I think, had a unique distinction of always speaking with immense power, but always being completely wrong. I'm sure you will take a different approach.”

Mr Cameron’s description of the Northern Powerhouse as linking up the great cities of the North of England follows pledges to spend £13bn on better transport, in this parliament.