Want to properly plug the UK’s north-south divide? Look to Germany

‘It would make more sense to invest in better links between northern cities, rather than on improving links to London. An HS3 would be better value for money than HS2 (above).’ Photograph: HS2/PA

Britain has been struggling to find a solution to its north-south divide since the staple industries of the Industrial Revolution – textiles and coal – started to decline in the early 20th century.

It is not a unique problem. Every sizeable country has richer and poorer regions, and from the US rust belt to what was once East Germany, geographical inequality is easy to spot.