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Cameron blasts Tory think tank's call to abandon poverty-stricken north for the south as 'insane'
Last updated at 17:09pm on 13.08.08
David Cameron today lashed out at 'insane' calls by his favourite think tank for a million northerners to migrate to the south.
A report by Policy Exchange said it was time to give up on cities such as Liverpool and accept that the best solution would be to expand London to take in newcomers.
But Mr Cameron, on a three-day tour of the North-West, distanced himself from its conclusions saying: 'The authors have themselves admitted it is barmy. It isn't, it is insane.'
Oxford has been described as an 'economic powerhouse'
The Tory leader added: 'Regeneration of our northern cities has been a key Conservative theme over the past three years, and one of the first things I did as leader was to set up the Cities Taskforce to look into how we can further renew and regenerate our great cities.'
But Government minister Vera Baird, the MP for Redcar, countered: 'Cameron can distance himself from this all he wants but he needs to explain why his friends have no faith in the North.
'This is exactly the sort of vindictive, anti-northern thinking that led to the widespread industrial decline of the North under Thatcher. Apparently this is once again in vogue in Notting Hill.'
Authors Tim Leunig, from the London School of Economics, and James Swaffield, from Policy Exchange, say in the report, Cities Unlimited, that a decade of Labour's regeneration policies had failed to narrow the North-South divide and that cities such as Liverpool should be allowed to shrink.
It also recommends expanding London by 450,000 homes.
Think-tank Policy Exchange believes places such as Liverpool (pictured), Bradford and Sunderland should be abandoned
It says: 'There is every reason to think that London is currently below its economically optimal size.
'No one is suggesting that residents should be forced to move but… regeneration, in the sense of convergence, will not happen because it is not possible.'
It recommends allowing landowners to convert half the 6,528 acres of industrial land into residential land for 50,000 houses and increasing London's size by a mile to allow for another 400,000 houses.
Dr Oliver Marc Hartwich, chief economist for Policy Exchange, said: 'No doubt some people will claim that these proposals are perhaps plain barmy. But the issue is clear: current regeneration policies are failing the very people they are supposed to be helping.'
An independent survey in Country Life of 1,100 city dwellers found that 80 per cent would prefer to live in the countryside with 97 per cent believing it had lower crime levels than the city.
Reader views (16)
Born in London, brought up near Manchester, moved down south for weather. Maybe the north should follow Scotland and prosper alone. No more forking out for vastly over-priced Millenium Domes, Wembley Stadiums, Olympics and Crossrail. I think the comments show most southerners aren't anti-northern by the way. These academics need to get out more and improve their social skills, maybe get a girlfriend, see the world .....
- Paul Salon, chelmsford
Put in the infrastructure and all the major conurbations become accessible - what ever happened to the Chunnel link the north of Britain was promised? Then the institutions move - the BBC hardly got far nor did the big Govt Depts (why does the MOD for example have to be in London to buy American helicopters that aren’t fit for purpose?) Then the regeneration happens - east end of Manchester with the Commonwealth Games. Oh by the way, thanks for the support for whenever a city other than London goes for the O Games (and you wonder why nobody outside of London gives a damn about 2012).
- Hef, Glasgow
One thing in the report that I actually agree with is I think it's ridiculous that house prices and rents are being pushed up in London because the space is being eaten up by factories and warehouses that employ very few people. It's practically impossible to get jobs in the factories in London, unless you're very lucky, but even then, it won't pay much more than the minimum wage.
Even people who live right next door to these warehouses generally commute for an hour into the City because the pay is much better. Indeed, if these people actually *did* work in the warehouses they live next door to, and didn't have any other income, then they wouldn't be able to afford the rent or mortgage for that location.
Let's face it, a lot of industrial development in London doesn't really serve the community, and we'd all be better off if it was pulled down and turned into houses.
Building on green spaces really isn't necessary.
Having said that, even if you *do* turn factories into blocks of flats, you've still got to think about the roads and utility pipes and cable that connect them. Not to mention the social cohesion. There's just no way that people who live on sink estates in Liverpool are going to be able to resettle in London without a bottomless pit of government help - and that, in turn, is going to cause serious resentment among Londoners. Career high-fliers are welcome, but we'd prefer not to have the North's drug addicts, disabled people and welfare mums if we can help it.
- Fred, Surbiton
If it's a choice between living in a nice 3-bed terrace in say Didsbury (a leafy affluent suburb in south Manchester) or a grotty ex-local authority flat in Tower Hamlets, I think I know what I would choose... don't get me wrong - London is a great city, but it suffers from many of the same problems that tend to be associated with poverty. Plus I think the London-based media have always had a habit of exaggerating the quality of life in the capital. After all, house prices aren't always an indicator of how good the quality of an area is. The boffin who conducted this report obviously needs to see more of the county of which he is making these sweeping generalisations about.
- Gus, Manchester
What a great idea - there's lots of room on the tubes and trains for more city-loads of people!
- Emma, Nunhead, UK
Cos we've got plenty of spare housing down here and a transport system that can cope with more commuters. Oh...
- Suzanne, Surrey
Yep, I live in London and can confirm that the streets are indeed paved with gold. If you're feeling poor up north move to London and try buying a run down council flat for under half a million. That's a lot of gold you will need to chip off the pavements.
- Ben, London
If distance from London is causing us slum-dwelling Northerners so much trouble then why are (in the opinion of the report) Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle doing so well, when each are less than twenty minutes drive from Liverpool, Bradford and Sunderland respectively.
Twenty minutes drive... that's twenty miles to us Northerners, not 300 yards of stationary traffic.
- Rob, Liverpool, England
I am originally from the Midlands, but came to University in London in 1985 and have stayed ever since and have raised a family here. Despite all of it's problems (and we live in South London), I love the place. I find Midlanders, even my own family members, very insular in their attitudes. Like it or not things centre around London because it is more dynamic and productive than any other UK city. Investment in 'The North' mostly fails because people fail to change their mind-sets.
- Philip, London, England
The South (esp SE) is already bursting at the seams with green belt land being encroached upon. The MPs for the North need to be helping sort their situation out.
- Kitty, London
Roy G, Solihull err i don't know about you but last time I looked Solihull is in bir-minging- ham makes Sunderland look like the French Riviera!
- Chris, London
Is this not a return to Thatcherite "get on your bike" culture? Hardly a new idea.
- Graham, Reading, England
Yes, because the South has a public transport system that could cope and isn't already buckling under the strain.
- Nat Kerred, London
As if London and the Home Counties are not into multiculturalism enough, they are now suggesting we have the cloth cap and muffler brigade thrust upon us! When they are down here, I will emigrate to Merseyside.
- Roy G, Solihull, England.
How ridiculous.
The real issue here is everything being centred on London.
We need to get away from this notion that London is everything
- Lb, London
Mmm, let's see. That family from Glasgow moved down to London as they didn't want their children growing up with a knife and drug culture.
They had their child stabbed to death in South London for a 'dirty look.'
Hardly a good idea. London is now an open sewer. You're safer where you are believe me.
- Steve, London
