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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Helen Pidd North of England editor

Levelling up: PM makes promises without saying how he will pay for them

Shoppers in Hull
Hull and East Yorkshire could be in line for a mayor under the new plans. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Observer

There was a popular Lee and Herring sketch in the 1990s in which the pair shout “you want the moon on a stick, you do”. Prime ministers, likewise, are used to being asked for more than they can possibly deliver. But usually they cherry-pick their priorities.

David Cameron, or more accurately his chancellor, George Osborne, decided to focus on the north of England, with the “northern powerhouse”.

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