Combined authority leaders are set to draw up a ‘manifesto' for the North after Chancellor George Osborne threw down the gauntlet in a speech earlier this week.

Speaking to The MJ, the leader of the Liverpool area combined authority and Wirral MBC, Cllr Phil Davies, said the ‘devolution genie was out of the bottle' after Mr Osborne said he wanted to have a discussion about a ‘serious devolution of powers and budgets for any city that wants to move to a new model of governance', including elected mayors for city regions.

‘With the tendency for London to suck in huge amounts of economic activity and the fact that Scotland will be given more powers and responsibility, there's a danger the North of England will get left out,' said Cllr Davies.