Does the government need to pick which areas to level up?
b'The Conservative Party\\u2019s 2019 manifesto promised to level up \\u201cevery part\\u201d of the UK, but there is unlikely to be enough money to radically improve economic prospects across the country. Will the government need to \\u2018pick winners\\u2019 or are there other ways of ensuring that money is spent where it can have the biggest impact?\\n\\nThe sheer breadth of the levelling up agenda \\u2013 and the missions that the government has set out \\u2013 means almost any area can be seen as a priority. So how will the government\\u2019s levelling up missions shape its spending priorities? Can ministers avoid the impression \\u2013 as has happened with the Towns Fund \\u2013 that party politics motivates their choices? And is it possible to level up without \\u2018levelling down\\u2019 leading areas such as London and the South East?\\n\\nSpeakers on the panel were:\\n\\nAndrew McPhillips, Chief Economist of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership\\nSelaine Saxby MP for North Devon and member of the Work and Pension Committee\\nPaul Swinney, Director of Policy and Research at the Centre for Cities\\n\\nThe event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.\\n\\nThis event was kindly supported by Lloyds Banking Group.'