When Theresa May became Prime Minister she made much of the fact that the Brexit vote was a protest by ‘the left behind,' those rural areas and smaller towns with low economic activity, stagnant wages and a sense of grievance that they were being ignored by the political establishment and that she would help them.

Geographically many of these areas were in the North, North East, Yorkshire & Humberside. In the event Mrs May left office having done nothing to help ‘the left behind.' Surprisingly perhaps these voters, rather than turn against the Conservatives for failing to offer them anything other than warm words, did the opposite and voted Boris Johnson a landslide. Now he too must do what his predecessor did not and show ‘the left behind' that they are inside the tent. If nothing else, he needs their votes if he is to win the next election.