BORIS Johnson said getting Brexit done was the key to unleashing 'the economic potential of the North'.

Clamour for the ‘voice of the North’ to be heard has been growing, with The Mail joining other newspapers in the North in publishing a manifesto for the region. Listed policy objectives included local control of education and a northern transport budget.

Mr Johnson said: “When I became Prime Minister, I laid out our positive vision for the North and we’re already delivering on this.

“I’ve already announced that we will be backing Northern Powerhouse Rail, funding the Leeds to Manchester route, as well as increasing funding for schools across the region and investing in our NHS.

“Unemployment is falling, wages are rising, and we have signed multi-billion pound devolution deals across the North. But to really unleash the economic potential of the North, we have to get Brexit done.

“I have a plan to deliver Brexit, which will allow us to move on and focus on other priorities here, like investing in infrastructure, education and technology.

“A vote for the Conservatives on December 12 will allow us to move forward. Anything else will lead to a gridlocked hung Parliament, with a weak and chaotic coalition led by Jeremy Corbyn who will waste next year on the chaos of another two referendums.”

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said: “I welcome the Northern Manifesto. In government, Labour will deliver a manifesto that will fundamentally redistribute the balance of power and wealth across the country, unleashing the potential of the North.”

In a speech in Liverpool, Mr McDonnell also pledged a £150 billion ‘social transformation fund’, to be spent over the first five years of a Labour government, and promised that a powerful section of the Treasury would be moved to the North.

He said a “shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people” required an “irreversible shift in the centre of gravity in political decision making and investment” from London."