Putting the readers in the picture

THE North of England is where the action is, then-Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told an audience of political and business leaders in Liverpool back in February.

- ROB PARSONS

Setting out his vision for tackling regional inequality through Boris Johnson's levelling up agenda, the senior Tory insisted: "We simply can't allow the gulf between rich and poor, and North and South to grow."

But fast-forward seven months and Mr Gove is out of government, perhaps forever, after being sacked by Mr Johnson in the final desperate throes of his premiership.

The Prime Minister's successor - likely to be Foreign Secretary Liz Truss faces a daunting inbox as the cost-of-living crisis threatens communities across the country.