Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have given a full-throated commitment to "levelling up" the North, amid a tense Tory leadership debate.
Ms Truss said she was "completely committed" to the levelling up agenda and pledged "urgent action" if she won the race to Number 10. While Mr Sunak gave "an unequivocal massive yes" to the policy.
The comments came as newspapers across the North united to warn Mr Sunak and Ms Truss not to "turn their back" on the region once in Downing Street.
It follows reports that the levelling up agenda, which was a key promise at the 2019 general election, could be shelved after Boris Johnson's departure.
Mr Sunak, speaking at a BBC hustings event this evening, said he would regenerate town centres, invest in education and cut taxes on business investment as a means to boost northern towns.
He said: "I grew up in Southampton and now I represent a rural seat in North Yorkshire, where Teesside is my backdoor. I’ve see the amazing change that I’ve helped to deliver in a place like that, delivering a freeport, attracted jobs and investment and jobs post-Brexit to an area with new industries, like carbon capture and storage, and vaccine manufacturing.
"I think we can bring that same sense of optimism, excitement and opportunity across the country. That’s what levelling up should mean, it should mean that no matter where you grow up, you have fantastic opportunities to fulfil your potential."
Ms Truss was much bolder, saying there needed to be "urgent action" and pledged to roll out "low tax zones" to attract private investment.
She said: "“It’s not just a slogan for me, it’s about the life I’ve had, I’ve seen what happened in Leeds when children were let down by a combination of low expectations, poor opportunities and poor educational standards. So levelling up for me is about changing the Treasury investment rules so they’re fair across the country.
"At the moment, they favour London. It’s about making sure that we unleash private sector investment through low tax zones… but it’s also about the schools, it’s about getting the best schools everywhere in the country and allowing those to thrive as well."
Elsewhere in the hour long debate, the pair clashed over when taxes should be cut.
Mr Sunak said: “Well look, we all took a decision to protect the economy and support the NHS through Covid, and of course we all knew there was a bill that we needed to pay for that, so the question is, should we pay that bill ourselves or do we put it on the country’s credit card and pass the tab to our children and grandchildren to take care of.
“Now, I don’t think that’s right, I don’t think it’s responsible and it’s certainly not Conservative and that’s what I wouldn’t do as prime minister.”
Ms Truss said: “Under my plans, we would start paying back the debt in three years time, so I’m not putting it on the never never.”
Mr Sunak interrupted saying “that’s simply not right”, adding: “You promised almost £40 billion of unfunded tax cuts…that is the country’s credit card.”
Ms Truss said: “Rishi that is not true, under my plans, we would start paying down the debts in three years time, Covid was a one in 100 years event, no other country is putting up taxes at this moment, the OECD has described Rishi’s policies as contractionary.”
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