“Average incomes in the Midlands, Wales and the North of England have fallen further behind the rest of the country. Low earnings are an increasingly important driver of poverty, with the proportion of children in poverty in working households rising sharply in recent years.
“The Government must make urgent progress with its industrial strategy, working across party lines to deliver a plan that drives up skills and productivity across the country. That will deliver more and better jobs and higher living standards that people desperately need.”
Does the government have an industrial strategy?
They have reneged on their plans to electrify railway lines in the Midlands, the West country and the Lake District.
However, the Network Rail boss gets a £50,000 bonus on top of his salary of £683,000.