Liz Truss commits to building Northern Powerhouse Rail in full

The major U-turn on current Government policy came after newspapers across the North, including the Telegraph & Argus, united to warn the former Chancellor and Foreign Secretary not to “turn their back” on the region once in Downing Street.

Northern papers joined together in a rallying cry to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss

It followed reports that the levelling up agenda, which was a key promise at the 2019 general election, could be shelved after Boris Johnson's departure.

There was dismay last November when the Government’s long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan confirmed weeks of rumours and leaks that a new high-speed NPR line between Leeds and Manchester, via Bradford, had been scrapped.

A vision of what Northern Powerhouse Rail in Bradford could look like

Only this week, the Transport Select Committee said failure to deliver a new station would squander Bradford’s potential to become “an engine room of the Northern Powerhouse”.

“Direct high-speed connections would give the city access to a much broader pool of labour, as well as allowing other cities to benefit from the talent and potential of its own residents,” said the report.

“Leaving such a large and dynamic city behind would undermine the project of levelling up the country.”

In her pitch to the North, Ms Truss vowed: “We will build the Northern Powerhouse Rail to link up communities and unlock potential across the North. We will take advantage of the opportunities this will bring by introducing new Investment Zones – full-fat freeports – to encourage industry to set up shop in the North.

“That’s how we will bring better jobs to the North and address productivity.”

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, said: “We welcome support for a new Bradford station on Northern Powerhouse Rail, which is what we were promised until government reneged on their commitment.

“The business case is clear – NPR needs to go through Bradford to achieve the transformation needed for the people and businesses of our district and across the North of England.

Huw Merriman MP, chair of the Transport Select Committee with Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchliffe

“Whoever the new Prime Minister is, I am willing to work with them to achieve it and I will be holding them to account to deliver on their promises. Bradford is this country’s number one levelling up opportunity.”

Mike Cartwright, from the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, added: “We hope that the apparent commitment within the Tory party leadership race to build NPR in full is followed through, regardless of who wins that contest. Levelling Up needs to remain a priority for the next government, and Bradford needs to be at the heart of that mission.”

The candidates, along with Labour's shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy, were invited to answer five key questions facing the region this week. 

It comes as Mr Sunak and Ms Truss prepare to debate each other at a regional hustings in Leeds.

All three politicians acknowledged the issues, whether child poverty or low productivity, but there was a varying level of detail when explaining how they would be addressed. 

Mr Sunak emphasised the fact he is a Northern MP and said he would "keep the North front centre of my mind in all that I do" if he were to become PM in September. 

He said he would "double down" on levelling up and identified education as a key area which could boost the region's economy. 

The Richmond MP also pledged to "work with local leaders on what the future of transport looks like in the North", something which was sorely lacking when it came to the cut-price Northern Powerhouse Rail plan unveiled last year. 

Ms Truss meanwhile backed calls for a "levelling up formula", similar to the Barnett Formula used to distribute cash in Scotland as a means to ensure "areas that have been left behind get the support they deserve". 

The Foreign Secretary also said she would roll out low tax "Investment Zones" across the region to attract private investment and outlined a series of tax cuts to ease the cost of living crisis in the short term. 

Both candidates committed to retaining a Government department responsible for tackling regional inequalities with a Cabinet-level minister for whom this is their main job. 

Lisa Nandy meanwhile outlined Labour’s offer to the region, saying her party in power would invest £280bn over a decade to close the North/South divide. 

To address the cost of living crisis, the Wigan MP said Labour would uprate benefits, cut VAT on energy bills, scrap leasehold charges and “put rocket boosters” under the home insulation programme to cut bills. 

Ms Nandy also said in office she would “end the Hunger Games-style grants” that force local authorities to compete for small pots of cash and instead give leaders the tools to have “financial autonomy”.