Osborne plays the comeback king

FORMER Chancellor and Cheshire MP George Osborne has pledged to focus his post-Cabinet political energy on his Northern Powerhouse vision.

Osborne was speaking as chair of the newly launched Northern Powerhouse Partnership at a media event in Manchester Town Hall.

Much of the focus since Theresa May became Prime Minister in the wake of the Brexit vote has been on her perceived lack of enthusiasm for the Tatton MP’s drive to rebalance the economy.

Osborne – who first coined the expression Northern Powerhouse at speech at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry two years ago – was keen to point out May’s support via an article in the Yorkshire Post newspaper two weeks ago, however belated it may have been.

Under questioning, Osborne admitted there had been no direct conversation with the Prime Minister over the newly announced Northern Powerhouse partnership he is heading up, but said her support had been indicated by the Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid.

Osborne said the new partnership was about bringing the North together.

He said the mission in the Northern cities and counties was to ensure “its owned by the North, driven by the North and bought by the North.”

“It will be a major focus of my political energy now that I am out of office because the Northern Powerhouse is here to stay,” he said.

Osborne said the partnership would be not-for-profit, backed by business and funded entirely by the private sector.

Already, Manchester Airports Group chief executive Charlie Cornish, construction group Mace’s chief executive Mark Reynolds and Tony Walsh, head of corporate banking at Barclays have backed the new body.

Osborne said the partnership would be pushing to make sure Government commitments to HS2 and a new Trans-Pennine high speed rail link “that are so vital” are delivered.

He also pledge international help for the new big-city metro Mayors which will be elected next year, importing advice from former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the philanthropic division of his Bloomberg business.

This move has meanwhile drawn praise from the North West business community, not least Rowena Burns, chief executive of Manchester Science Partnerships, who said: “It was great to hear the renewed commitment to science as a critical driver for growth in the North and also to see at the launch the shared purpose and global ambition of this new organisation.

“It is fantastic that someone of the international stature of former New York Mayor Bloomberg has agreed to support the creation of the metro-mayor model.

“MSP is absolutely committed to playing its part in supporting this growth agenda and will continue to both collaborate with partners in the public and private sectors across the North and also invest in creating world class facilities to support the growth of scientific businesses.”

Chris Oglesby, chief executive of Manchester-based commercial property specialist Bruntwood said: “Collaboration and partnership have driven the renaissance of our great Northern cities and extending this between these city regions is essential if the North is to achieve its true economic potential.

Bruntwood is investing heavily in the regeneration of the region; we are fully behind the launch of the new Northern Powerhouse Partnership and welcome the reiteration of support for from Central Government for the concept.”

Of the Northern Powerhouse initiative for the last two years Osborne said: “It’s been a real success, but it’s still very early days.

“Trying to turn back 100 years of relative economic decline is something which is not going to happen overnight. I think there is a real excitement about what we can achieve when we work together and I don’t want us to lose that.

“That’s why I’m very pleased to see the new Prime Minister commit herself to the Northern Powerhouse vision in that article, because if we’re going to end the North-South divide we do need a partnership with national Government.”

But he went on to say: “We have to understand that you can’t just rely on Whitehall from more than 150 miles away to make all the decisions for us.

“The Northern Powerhouse has to be owned by the North, driven by the North and bought by the North. That’s what this is all about.”

Osborne said he had not spoken directly to Mrs May about the Northern Powerhouse issue but had spoken to Javid recently.

“I’ve been in Government and (speaking directly to the Prime Minister) it’s just not the way things are done. I have spoken to Savid Javid there is full commitment to it.”