Political winds of change could power Midlands Engine

TheBusinessDesk.com and EY have produced a Midlands Engine report, assessing the challenges and opportunities facing the region as it looks to maximise the positive impact of devolution. Read the full report here.

THERE was a pamphlet published in 2012 about one of Birmingham’s most important political figures called Our Joe about Joseph Chamberlain.

Winston Churchill described the late 19th-century Liberal Unionist politician, and mayor of Birmingham, as “the one who made the weather”.

The pamphlet’s author, Birmingham-born Nick Timothy worked as a political adviser when he wrote it before going to run an education body. Earlier this year he returned to politics to once again advise the same Tory MP. Only now his official title is joint chief of staff to the Prime Minister. The well-connected political website Conservative Home has given him the unofficial title of Theresa May’s “thinker-in-chief”.

After feeling left behind by Cheshire MP and Chancellor George Osborne’s passion for the Northern Powerhouse, the political winds of change that swept through Downing Street in the summer could now help to power the Midlands Engine.

Marketing Derby’s John Forkin senses a change has already occurred, with the Northern Powerhouse weaker without its political sponsor, but is hesitant that the opportunity will just land in the Midlands’ lap.

“I think the Northern Powerhouse has probably had its day, to a certain extent, because it was the love-child of George Osborne, and it was really about Manchester,” he said.

“I’m not the first person to say this, but driving out of London I saw the infamous sign ‘The North/M1’. The Midlands doesn’t exist. It actually does appear somewhere just before Northampton, the first sign which says Midlands. In a sense that anecdote illustrates the problem.

“Almost fundamental to what we need to do around here is – and it may be simple to say but difficult to do – is just get in on the political radar.”