Andrew Vine: Best chance for years to bridge North-South gap

And then David Cameron and George Osborne went back home to the metropolitan bubble and signed off on funding deals which did nothing to close the North-South divide.

From flood defences to potholes, from railways to roads, we failed to get a fair deal from the last administration. For no good reason, the government held the interests of the people of Basingstoke more closely to heart than those of Bradford.

Partly it had to do with the sheer gravitational pull of London, its wealth and influence as the seat of government, more city state than capital, and partly it was about the clique that ran the Conservative Party from 2005 until last week. Like Tony Blair’s Labour before it, policy depended to a degree upon the social set at the top of the party, friends of similar background, age and temperament.

The discussions around the dinner tables of Notting Hill had an influence to rival those around the cabinet table for Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne – and their erstwhile chum Michael Gove, until he turned into the guest from hell who eyes up the cutlery to see which knife looks best for backstabbing.

And viewed from dinner, Northern England could seem very far away, farther even than Scotland, where the clamour for independence threw such a scare into Mr Cameron. Anyway, they can dine in peace these days, untroubled by the cares of office, and that could turn out to be good for the North.

The best opportunity for a generation to close the North-South divide has arrived in the person of Theresa May. Her status as something of an outsider in the government she served as Home Secretary for six years should mean that she is untainted by the preoccupations of her predecessor.

Hopefully, she listened to yesterday’s call by the leaders of the great cities of the North for a voice in the Brexit negotiations. She should have, because it is a compelling message that needs to be heeded.

The voices from West and South Yorkshire, in concert with those of Manchester, Liverpool and the North-East make a powerful case for being made a priority in the reshaping of Britain for a future outside the EU.

Last week, as she entered Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister, one of Mrs May’s pledges was to close the chasm between London and the rest of the country.

Prioritising the North gives her the means to do exactly that. Its massive untapped economic potential should be recognised as a vital asset if Britain is to prosper outside the EU.

There is an inscrutable quality about Mrs May. She gave little away about her attitudes while at the Home Office. Whereas David Cameron was open about his personality and outlook, his successor has kept her own counsel.

But the one thing we do know for sure from those who have worked with her is that she pays attention to detail and solid argument, carefully weighing up evidence before making decisions. That bodes well for the case being made by our leading cities. And that is because economically, it cannot be contradicted. There is simply no argument against it.

It benefits not just our region, but the entire country at a period in Britain’s history when it will need to exploit all its potential. Our combined population is greater than London’s, and the economy worth £300bn, double that of Scotland, where the SNP is predictably already pressing for special treatment.

What more does Mrs May need to know? From her viewpoint, if she is serious about rebalancing the economy, the North can be a powerful engine to drive it. All she has to do is fill the tank with petrol.

Like every premier, she will wish to leave a legacy, to be remembered as having made a difference for the better. There is an opportunity here for her to do just that, by giving the Northern Powerhouse fresh impetus after the fitful progress of the Cameron-Osborne years.

Politically, it would be in her interests to do so. Mrs May has cast herself as a one-nation Conservative, promising greater social justice and mobility.

Against a fragmented Labour Party tearing itself apart in internal battles, there could be votes to be picked up in Northern seats if the electorate sees a commitment to unlocking vast economic potential which would result in more jobs and increased prosperity.

If she is canny enough, Mrs May’s legacy need not only be about leading Britain out of the EU. She could claim a prize that is there for the taking – the historic achievement of closing the North-South divide once and for all.