PM begins ‘levelling up’ cross-country tour

Over the next week, Boris Johnson will travel to different parts of the country “to see how the government is delivering on the people’s priorities”.

Mr Johnson intends to emphasise the focuses of his “new” No. 10 operation. Five of his key advisers quit last week in the fallout from the Downing Street party scandal. One of those to go was Johnson’s longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza who accused the PM of “scurrilous” behaviour when he linked Keir Starmer to the failure to bring Jimmy Savile to justice.

The Prime Minister’s office has said that in the “new No. 10 operation there will be a laser-focus on levelling up”.

The PM has said: “I’m getting out of London this week and taking a simple message with me – this government is getting on with the job of uniting and levelling up the country”.

“Access to good healthcare, a good education, skilled work, reliable transport – none of this should depend on where you live. We’re changing the rules of the game to put fairness back at the heart of the system and focusing on the priorities that really matter to people. This is our mission and we’re getting on with delivering it”.

The PM will begin his trip in Scotland on Monday where he is expected to visit a manufacturing site. This is the Mr Johnson’s first visit to Scotland since Douglass Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservative party, called for his resignation. Mr Johnson is not expected to meet Mr Ross on the trip.