Beyond levelling-up: labour’s response to regional inequalities and the challenge of governance

Abstract

The levelling up initiative of the UK Conservative Government has, since 2019, aimed to address the problem of serious economic disparities between and across the regions of the country. In opposition, the Labour Party has reacted to this initiative in phases: firstly via a broad critique, and then through an alternative policy which has come to be framed around a wider set of constitutional and governance reforms. Labour’s response has been problematic due to its vagueness and opacity, the lack of a roadmap or timeline for delivery, a failure to address the need for policy evaluation, the linkage of levelling up to an unwieldy project for constitutional reform, and the lack of a binding strategic narrative. An opportunity remains for Labour to refine and develop its policy in this sphere before the 2024 General Election.