Boris Johnson had the right ideas say Labour

credit where credit is due Boris Johnson was the leading politician who took up this agenda and started really talking about it as you said, the problem was that he then did absolutely nothing to deliver on it, he created a department to level up that didn't have the powers to deliver now we're getting used to union leaders praising Margaret Thatcher in recent months, that might make you raise an eyebrow, the times might leave you open-mouthed this morning because she publishes a Kier starm Angela rer article praising Boris Johnson for his leveling

ideas

we can now speak to the shadow international development secretary, Lisa Nandy, good morning, hello, good morning, you're already laughing and I'm not surprised because you have union leaders and prominent people within the party.

Praising a succession of Conservative prime ministers is a bit strange, isn't it? Look, I'm not a fan of Boris Johnson and I can also tell you that K Starma and Angela Rer are neither, but what he did recognize was that A problem in this country is that for too long the contribution that people can make in every part of the country is largely determined by where they live and for many people geography is destiny and that is something you know. Those who don't live in major cities or London and the South East have felt this for a long time, so what K St and Angela R are presenting today is a plan to reboot that agenda, but this time with a real plan behind it. not just as an election-winning slogan, but as a way of saying to the people of this country, wherever you live, whatever your ambitions for yourselves, your community for your work family has your back and we are with you and we will empower you. to be able to make that change was Boris Johnson really that um, whether you like it or not, he was the one he talked about, he didn't feel anything else for quite a while uh ra uh um that uh leveling up, he was leveling up every day moving up. leveling up leveling up leveling up so he was the one who put the idea into the kind of modern political lexicon uh um so you're a fan of that he was the one who propelled it to prominence yeah, I mean, give credit where credit is due , Boris Johnson was the leading politician who took up this agenda and started really talking about it as if you had said, the problem was that he then did absolutely nothing to deliver on it, he created a department to level up that didn't have the powers to deliver , appointed Rishi Sunak Chancellor of the exercise that cut funding, they gave more refunds to the scammers than to the entire north of England when, but I mean, some money was handed out. 156 prizes were awarded. to local authorities in England worth £3bn 78% of the funding given to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is worth a combined £798m, so the money given is a fraction of what has been taken away from our communities over the past few years. decade and a half is a partial refund of the money that has been taken from us and frankly it is insulting because the money that is given comes with strings attached, it is determined by the people of Westminster and Whiteall who decide who gets a local leisure center and I kid.

In one case, officials are not the ones who decide who has park benches in certain parts of the country. We think we can do better than that and that's why our agenda is to empower local communities to make decisions for themselves, so I just want to understand what that will actually mean. It means empowering local communities. You have this take back control bill. Nice title. You want to expand returns in English so that each community takes advantage of the opportunities. Let's deepen the return. So this is talking about Pathways and I don't know what. How exactly?

What powers are they really going to give to local people or local authorities? What's different this time? What there is at the moment across England is a two-way transfer process in which some areas, including mine in Greater Manchester, are moving forward but others are falling further and further behind and we think that is nonsense If you believe that local leaders can have the power to control their bus networks and their transport networks in Greater Manchester, why shouldn't people living in Barnesley and other parts of the country? They have the same

right

to have their local leaders make those decisions and then hold them to account, so we are going to expand the devolution process.

Powers over housing, energy and planning to local leaders, but in every part of the country, not just someone good, at least one person contacted Donald to say there's no point in listening to workers' call to level up By handing control of Economic Development to local authorities, status councils would not be able to organize a party in a brewery, he says. There are many other problems relating to immigration and unemployed graduates, but he says spending money by councils would not solve the problems of economic inequality. Another quick thing, because we don't have much time, is that some people will cynically say that you are praising Boris Johnson and saying that Richi Sunik has held him back not only in terms of an election date but also in terms of continuing to level up to distract the attention to the questions that are swirling and that Manchester Police are now reassessing their initial investigation into the sale of their deputy leader Angela Rer's home, this story is not going away.

Is that so? I just think it's insulting to say that by putting people in parts of the country who have been ignored and overlooked by Westminster and White Hall for too long at the center of our political debate that this somehow constitutes a distraction. I think that says all you need to know about what Conservatives really think about communities like mine in Wigan, but she could clarify that issue and then the focus would be more squarely on this particular issue of leveling up that everyone would agree on. which is important. Well, she has been very clear that she has received legal advice, she has received tax advice and that no rules have been broken.

I don't think she could have been clearer in saying that she called the accusations defamation, if it weren't this it would be something else, as you remember, that the conservatives tried to distract a few years ago during the local elections by saying that Angela Rer and Kar broke the agreement. rules during lockdown they didn't, it was silly if it wasn't this it would be something else but we are completely focused on the interests of the country unlike the conservatives and that is what we are exposing today, but Lisa yes It was Oliver Dowen, Wouldn't you require him to answer the questions correctly?

Of course, it's important for all of us to be responsible and answer the questions, but she answered them. She said that, acting on advice that no crime had been committed, police originally closed the investigation. uh I understand that they have reopened it out of concern that the Conservative MP has asked them to do so, of course it is their

right

, we respect the process and as we have always done, when these types of accusations are made, we comply with the proceedings, but she has made it clear that no crime has been committed based on the advice she received.

Well, we'll see what happens with that, like you said. Graer Maner police are now reevaluating their initial investigation into the sale of the deputy's home. Labor party leader Angela rer e e