Michael Gove says people in North and Midlands have been 'overlooked and undervalued'

The long-awaited levelling-up plan has finally been unveiled.

Earlier this morning, Secretary of State for Levelling-Up, Michael Gove, spoke about the details of the plan with Sky News correspondent Kay Burley.

"The big problems we have as this country is the geographical inequality, London and the southeast an economic powerhouse but the North and Midlands not so much," Mr. Gove said. "That's why we need to invest in schools, in skills, that's why we need to improve wages, that's why we need to ensure we level up across the country."

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Mr. Gove went on to say the "North and Midlands had been overlooked and undervalued for years by politicians." In part due to Brexit

Secretary of State Levelling-Up, Michael Gove Getty Images

The levelling-up plan was introduced in 2019 by the Conservative Party with the intention to close the gap between wealthy and poor communities of the UK through economic investment.

The 322-page Levelling-Up White Paper released today outlines the plan the government has created. The papers say their strategy is to "shift government focus and resources to Britain's forgotten communities by 2030" by improving things like public transportation, education, and access to broadband.

The papers include 12 bold missions including lowering the violent crime rate, increasing childhood literacy and maths by 90%, closing the gap between Healthy Life Expectancy, increasing first-time home buyers, and more.

The goals are lofty but Mr. Gove says they're achievable with the plan, "the White Paper we are publishing today sets out a detailed strategy to make opportunity more equal and to shift wealth and power decisively towards working people and their families."

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