As Tories flock to Manchester for their annual conference, they are looking at an even frostier welcome than usual in the northern city.
Once, Manchester was at the heart of George Osborne’s promised “northern powerhouse” project and the end destination of the HS2 rail line. Northern voters continued to be wooed by Boris Johnson with a promise of levelling up as he sought to retain the so-called “red wall” seats he won from Labour in 2019.
