The government is today unveiling its ‘Levelling Up’ report that it says will “transform” the country.
Aiming to “close the gap” between the richer and poorer parts of the country, the long-awaited strategy – which has been unveiled by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, and will be further detailed in a white paper report being released later today – will take until 2030, and looks to improve services such as education, broadband, and transport.
Officials say the report will set out a blueprint to bring prosperity “to all parts” of the UK.
In the Conservatives’ 2019 general election-winning manifesto, the party said its focus would be “levelling up every part of the UK”, and the term has since become a key slogan for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government.
At the heart of the strategy is a plan to create more regional mayors, such as existing posts like Labour’s Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, or the Conservative’s Andy Street in the West Midlands, and Ben Houchen in Tees Valley, and every part of England will have access to “London-style” powers if they want it.
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As stated in the strategy, Mr Gove’s plans would bring all existing initiatives together into 12 “national missions”, and set up a system for measuring progress.
Among the 12 missions are promises to refocus education spending on disadvantaged parts of the country and eliminate illiteracy and innumeracy, bring the rest of the country’s public transport up to London standards, and provide access to 5G broadband for the “large majority” of households.
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There’s also the aim to have wellbeing improved in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing.
✅ Jobs ✅ Investment ✅ Opportunity ✅ Regeneration ✅ Health and wellbeing ✅ Education and training ✅ Empowering communities
— Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (@luhc) February 2, 2022
Other missions identified include significantly increasing the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training in every area of the UK, and renters having a secure path to property ownership, with the number of first-time buyers increasing in all areas.
Derelict urban sites in 20 towns and cities will be targeted for redevelopment, with Sheffield and Wolverhampton the first places selected for this.
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One of the crucial parts of the plan for this region includes £100 million of new government funding for “innovation accelerators” to boost research and development in Greater Manchester, as well in West Midlands and Glasgow City-Region.
Speaking ahead of the publishing of the white paper, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “The United Kingdom is an unparalleled success story. We have one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies, ours is the world’s most spoken language [and] we have produced more Nobel Prize winners than any country other than America.
“But not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success [and] for decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued.
“As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline.”
The strategy has been unveiled by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove / Credit: Number 10 / Pippa Fowels (via Flickr)
“Levelling Up and this White Paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lottery,” he continued.
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“This will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured that levelling up is the “defining mission of this government”, adding that this “comprehensive and ambitious” is a “vision for the future”.
Man had taken ‘at least 20 lines of cocaine’ before killing toddler in tram-van crash
Daisy Jackson
A man has pleaded guilty to killing toddler Louisa (Lulu) Palmisano by dangerous driving, following a horror crash between a tram and a van in February.
The court heard that Rawal Rehman, 36, had taken ‘at least 20 lines of cocaine’ in a seven-hour window leading up to the crash.
On 22 February 2025, shortly before 10am, Rehman’s Mercedes sprinter van failed to stop at a Stop sign and collided with a tram.
His vehicle then mounted the pavement, striking three-year-old Lulu and both her parents who were walking hand-in-hand down Booth Street.
Tragically, Lulu – who her family described as the ‘sweetest, kindest, and most generous little girl’ – suffered fatal injuries.
Several passersby rushed to assist the family, including a junior doctor.
She was taken to hospital but died soon after of her injuries, which included a major head trauma.
Rehman, meanwhile, abandoned his van and left the scene in a taxi, later identified by documents in his vehicle and arrested two days later. He claimed to have panicked when questioned as to why he fled the scene.
He pleaded guilty at Manchester crown court on Tuesday 22 April to causing the death of Lulu by dangerous driving.
The scene of the tram-van crash that killed Lulu. Credit: The Manc Group
Prosecutor Rachel Shenton told Manchester Crown Court that he had visited two massage parlours in the city hours before and that he had taken ‘at least 20 lines of cocaine’ in seven hours.
Abbie Clarke, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “This was a devastating incident which shocked our community, and our thoughts go out to Lulu’s family who must bear this unimaginable loss.
“Rawal Rehman ignored the stop signs and tram warning signs when he drove straight into the path of an oncoming tram, and it is clear his driving fell far short of what is expected of a competent and careful driver.
“Rehman failed to take responsibility for his actions. He fled the scene in a taxi and denied that he drove dangerously in interview, only accepting responsibility on his third hearing before the court.
“He must now face the consequences for his role in this wholly avoidable tragedy.”
Social media beauty spots and selfies blamed for record rise in mountain rescue callouts
Daisy Jackson
There’s been a record rise in the number of young people needing help from mountain rescue teams – and social media has been blamed for luring unprepared people into potentially dangerous situations.
As well as these viral beauty spots – such as Mam Tor – the rise in call-outs has also been attributed to ‘poor-quality map apps’ which can stop functioning when in areas with poor phone service.
According to an exclusive report in The Guardian, it’s now tourists under the age of 24 who are most likely to need mountain rescue’s assistance while out walking.
The data provided by Ordnance Survey said that the number of call-outs from this age group has almost doubled between 2019 and 2024.
Overall rescues increased by 24% over a similar period.
A spokesman for Mountain Rescue said that young people are drawn to places like the Lake District after seeing images on social media, but are often not dressed or equipped properly for the conditions.
Nick Giles said people are often ‘too reliant on mobile phones’ and unprepared for the changes in weather and terrain that come with hiking.
Mike Park, chief executive of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, told The Guardian: “We know from incident reports that more and more people are tempted into risky locations by Instagram posts and the navigation apps being used aren’t always suitable for an outdoor environment.
“Add to that a tendency to follow popular routes online without knowing the hazards and context, and it’s not surprising that those likely to be relying most on their phones are the ones getting into difficulties.”
Before you head out on any hike or walk, you should make sure you’re prepared and equipped – see Mountain Rescue’s tips HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd February 2022 
