Do we need a Minister for the North? | Kim Leadbeater MP on the skills training gap in the North

Getting more people into high-quality skills training is apparently one of Rishi Sunak's big priorities. And progress can't come soon enough as the gap in productivity - meaning the amount of value generated by the average worker per hour - is widening between the North and the South East. But what would Labour do about it if they got into government? We might get the answer at the Labour Party Northern Skills Conference, held in Heckmondwike in West Yorkshire and chaired by Kim Leadbeater, the MP for Batley and Spen.  This week on the podcast Rob Parsons speaks to Kim about how we can get talented young people from the North into the jobs that will get our region's economy moving. Rob also chews over some of the other big politics stories in the North with someone who's probably covered every inch of rail and road in our great region over the years, Henri Murison from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, described as the leading voice of business and civic leaders across the North.  We'll be asking, do we need a Minister for the North? And does it matter that Michael Gove's Levelling Up Department can't spend any money without approval from the Treasury? *** The Northern Agenda is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Rob Parsons, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. You can subscribe to the daily Northern Agenda newsletter here: http://www.thenorthernagenda.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices