Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, Labour leader and deputy, have an interesting and rare article in the Times today, (28 March 2024). Rare because the starting point is recognition by the authors that much of the analysis in the Tory levelling-up white paper.is good. Whatever the label means, levelling-up lies at the heart of Michael Gove’s planning and economic growth policies. So these shared aspirations seem to mean there is common ground. First thoughts are this must be an encouraging starting point. Understanding the role of this common ground needs thoughtful, long term insights. These insights will matter as the hopes which levelling-up describes cannot be delivered by one political party alone in the short term of one Parliament. For example, lack of local support for the spatial consequences of levelling-up can often be fatal. So they will need a generation to deliver the spatial changes. As readers of this blog will know, in my opinion delivery is so difficult currently I do not think it will happen. But all the same this acknowledgment by Labour could be an epic moment, if it ushers a willingness to work together.
Unfortunately the initial response by the Conservatives is worrying. All Michael Gove can manage is a weak remark saying Labour have no plan, , and an unknown Tory source claiming the Starmer/Rayner article is simply intended to be a diversion of attention from a pseudo scandal about Ms Rayner’s tax affairs. One must hope that on mature reflection the Government’s considered response will be a artless welcome that some important common ground has emerged, linked with confirmation the Tories in turn will embrace any attempt to move forward with levelling-up objectives. If this constructive response never happens it will condemn Conservative nobility; a severe indictment. Boris Johnson too has expressed doubts. about his party’s commit levelling-up so we must all await the outcome with taut hopes.
Ian Campbell
28 March 2024
