Government unveils Levelling Up White Paper

The Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove will unveil the government’s Levelling Up White Paper today, setting out a decade-long project to regenerate Britain.

The White Paper will set out 12 new national missions, which the government aims to achieve by 2030, including delivering a rise in pay, employment and productivity in every area of the UK, improving local public transport to be closer to the standards of London, increasing the number of first-time buyers in all areas and securing devolution deals for every part of England that wants one.

Other missions will see the majority of the country gain access to 5G broadband, domestic public R&D investment outside of the Greater South East increase by at least 40%, and illiteracy and innumeracy in primary school leavers ‘effectively eliminated’.

These missions will be given status in law in a Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: ‘The United Kingdom is an unparalleled success story. We have one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies. Ours is the world’s most spoken language. We have produced more Nobel Prize winners than any country other than America.

‘But not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success. For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline. The UK has been like a jet firing on only one engine.

‘Levelling Up and this White Paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lottery. This will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson added: ‘From day one, the defining mission of this government has been to level up this country, to break the link between geography and destiny so that no matter where you live you have access to the same opportunities.

‘The challenges we face have been embedded over generations and cannot be dug out overnight, but this White Paper is the next crucial step. It is a vision for the future that will see public spending on R&D increased in every part of the country; transport connectivity improving; faster broadband in every community; life expectancies rising; violent crime falling; schools improving; and private sector investment being unleashed.

‘It is the most comprehensive, ambitious plan of its kind that this country has ever seen and it will ensure that the government continues to rise to the challenge and deliver for the people of the UK.’

In related news, Wolverhampton and Sheffield are expected to be the first of 20 places to be targeted by the government’s levelling up strategy, which is set to be announced this week.

Photo by Harrison Qi