Former Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has insisted the future for the North East "can be very bright" despite the region becoming the country's child poverty capital in recent years.
The influential Tory, who led Boris Johnson's efforts to spread opportunity outside London as part of the levelling up agenda, told a party conference fringe event the North East had experienced "historic challenges" that were "more pronounced" than other parts of the country.
He praised the "incredibly impressive" Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen and the work of the University of Newcastle but said Liz Truss's government needed a "proper granular understanding" of the region for it to succeed.
During the same fringe event hosted by the Onward think-tank, Mr Gove admitted he could have done more to explain the thinking behind the levelling up agenda.
Read more: Anger as North East's child poverty gap reaches 20-year high
And he said his 360-page White Paper contained too many 'fancy-pants' terms like references to Italy's ruling Medici dynasty.
The veteran of several Government departments was sacked by Boris Johnson in the final days of his premiership.
And he's made headlines already at Conservative conference in Birmingham by claiming Liz Truss’s plans to pay for vast tax cuts with increased borrowing are “not Conservative”.
Recent reports have revealed how the child poverty gap between North East and the rest of the country has reached a 20-year high.
What do Northern Tories want from the Conservative Party conference? Listen to The Northern Agenda podcast
Rates of child poverty have risen steadily in the North East over the last seven years and last year went against a national trend to become the highest in the country.
Asked by The Northern Agenda politics newsletter why he believed this was, he said: "I'll be honest, I don't know enough about why the North East is an outlier and it would be wrong for me to speculate without looking at the detail.
"There are historic challenges that the North East has faced.
"They're not unique to the North East, but more pronounced there in terms of deindustrialisation and also in terms of the variable quality of education in different parts of the North East, those are just two factors. I wouldn't want to stray beyond that without looking at it."
But he added that it was "very important that when we're building a picture of what requires to be done to address child poverty, and to address opportunity more broadly, that we've the most granular sense of it."
The Tory MP added: "And one of the things again that we were trying to do in the Department for Levelling Up was to look at the specific factors, as well as the common factors affecting areas that had fallen behind.
"So in Blackpool, and in Grimsby but Blackpool particularly, there are real problems with the housing market, there are real problems with the welfare system there, so the other challenges that you have in Blackpool are exacerbated.
"Similarly, in Grimsby, you have some very good schools, but the quality of education overall, is lower than it should be and the sense of civic pride, which is strong is not reflected in the local political institutions.
"I am optimistic about the future of the North East more broadly. Because I think what Ben Houchen is doing in the Tees Valley is incredibly impressive. And I think in Newcastle, you have one of Britain's strongest universities, particularly in life sciences.
"So I think that the future can be very bright for the North East. But I think what is required, I'm sure this is going on even now, is a proper granular understanding.
"And [new Levelling Up Secretary and Middlesbrough MP] Simon Clarke is one of the brightest people I've met in politics, and I think if you want someone in a position of political leadership to tackle those challenges, he's the best."
In recent days the Government has introduced the idea of 'investment zones' where red tape will be slashed and taxes cut to encourage private firms to invest in areas around the UK.
Mr Gove said that during his spell as Secretary of State he came to realise that to restore the fortunes of left-behind towns measures including tackling antisocial behaviour and improving civic centres were needed.
And he added: "You need to do all of these things, experience tells us, to transform opportunity.
"One of the things that makes me optimistic is the government's ambition when they're talking about opportunity zones, seems designed to show that they recognise that there are a range of tools that need to deploy in areas that have fallen behind to generate economic growth.
"My gentle worry at this stage is that there seems to be an emphasis more on some interventions and not the full suite. But again, I think we have to give the new government a little bit of time to spell out over the next few weeks exactly how the opportunity zones will work.
"And also, again, the strengthening of local institutions that we believed in, I know, Simon Clarke believes in so we can see people like Ben Houchen and [West Midlands mayor] Andy Street, and indeed others being given the tools they need to help to transform their local communities."
For the latest news and analysis of Northern politics, sign up to The Northern Agenda newsletter
