If you want a weekend read and missed this on Friday, here’s a journey through the confusion and disappointment that has characterised nearly five years of levelling up funds:

on.ft.com/4bfCmYs

We also find a statistical tie in the race to be the new Mayor of the North East. Labour’s Kim McGuinness leads Independent Jamie Driscoll by 2. The poll indicates higher propensity to vote by Driscoll supporters is what is keeping this race close and a squeeze of Tory voters.

Our new polling of 4 of next week’s mayoral races is featured in today’s The Times and The Sunday Times by caroline wheeler Starting with the West Midlands where we find incumbent Conservative Andy Street leading Labour’s Richard Parker by 2 points making the race a statistical tie.

Well I’m going to have to go to this place. Also this paragraph made me smile. I have one friend who just calls them the phalluses

On the dvd of this, which I’ve since lost, there was an excellent fake Ceefax that used to break me

Ok, I MASSIVELY approve. Maybe not queue for 17 hours approve but I now get it

Fine, sold, chicken is on its way. I need to know

manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-…

Steve Gibson, owner of Middlesbrough FC, and Paul Booth, former chair of SABIC UK, former members of the board that founded Teesworks, call Ben Houchen “totally incompetent” and call for a deal struck three months after they were sacked to be renegotiated: on.ft.com/4aQopjX

An in-depth attempt to explain nearly five years of levelling up funds: what they are, why they are, and why people have been so unhappy with them

With ⁦Amy Borrett⁩ and ⁦Anna Gross⁩

(The first in a 4-part series about levelling up)
on.ft.com/3Ux0AYE