On day two of the new Government all of England's metro mayors – including the one Conservative metro mayor Ben Houchen – were invited into No10 to discuss the next stages of devolution. It was not a one off – in the King's Speech this grouping was formalised with the creation of a Council of Regions and Nations which will provide mayoral leaders with a formal seat at the table in Westminster for the first time – something IPPR North has long called for.

New government ministers are also engaging with mayoral leadership, whose teams are busier than ever. Ministers are realising both that many levers of government are now held together with regional leadership, but also that mayors are key to delivering on many of the Government's missions. Through IPPR North's work with UK mayors it's clear there is agreement between leaders about where devolution needs to go next – even if they are still moving at different speeds and are at different stages of devolution.