A commitment to level up the country was at the forefront of the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto, but how much progress can the government make on its flagship agenda with no more than 18 months remaining until the next general election? Is substantial progress on regional inequalities possible over the next few years given the broader economic circumstances? And should this and future administrations prioritise specific aspects of the agenda, such as skills? This event, which took place shortly after the 2023 local elections were held, assessed what comes next for levelling up.

To explore these questions and more, our expert panel included:

• Debbie Abrahams MP, Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth
• Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
• Andy Westwood, Professor of Government Practice and Vice Dean of Humanities at The University of Manchester
• Jennifer Williams, Northern England Correspondent at the Financial Times

The event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

This event was kindly supported by Policy@Manchester, The University of Manchester's policy engagement unit.

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