There should be a dedicated cabinet minister for the north a group of Tory MPs have claimed. They are also calling for half a million new homes to be built in the region as part of a 'manifesto for the north' which is to be unveiled at party's conference in Manchester.
The Northern Research Group (NRG) also wants to see a commitment to devolving some of Westminster’s tax responsibilities to the North and the prioritisation of a rail line linking Liverpool in the west to Hull in the east.
It comes as ministers have recently refused to commit to building the northern leg of HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester, via Crewe, over cost concerns associated with the high-speed rail project. READ MORE: Pictured: Police up patrols with roads shut around Manchester ahead of Conservative party conference READ MORE: The town where a £300 cost of living payment just won't be enough Tory MPs are also calling for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to rule out raising the overall tax burden.
The demands form part of the NRG’s Manifesto For The North, which it plans to publish on Monday during the Tory Party conference in Manchester.
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