Boris Johnson's new chief of staff has vowed to "restore a smaller state", sparking fears the Government is rowing back on promises to level up the UK.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay said "both financially and in taking a step back from people’s lives" ministers would be taking a new approach to government.
It comes just days after Communities Secretary Michael Gove gave a speech in Liverpool vowing to hand more power to northern leaders and making levelling up "the central mission of our times".
