14.02.20
Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry steps down
Last night, (Feb 13) Conservative MP, Jake Berry took to twitter to announce he has stepped down from government and his roles as Northern Powerhouse Minister and Local Growth Minister.
In a series of tweets from the Darwen and Rossendale MP, 41-year old Berry revealed that the decision came following the offer of another role requiring “substantial amounts of foreign travel” and with three children under three years old “family will always come first.”
He also tweeted about his contributions to the North:
"For the last two and a half years I have helped move the Northern Powerhouse from concept to cabinet table.
"I firmly believe that the Northern Powerhouse was the foundation stone of the blue wall that delivered a Conservative majority government.”
It came at the end of a dramatic cabinet reshuffle that saw Chancellor Sajid Javid resign and be replaced by Rishi Sunak.
Berry has been vocal about his support for projects such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in recent weeks as part of his role as Northern Powerhouse Minister.
He will be replaced by Simon Clarke, Conservatives MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, who will be stepping into the role of Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Also announcing his news on twitter, Clarke said:
“The #NorthernPowerhouse is my home. Its battles are those I know so well through my role as a proud Teessider, My focus will be on working with communities across the country to support our great Mayors and help create new devolution settlements for areas that don’t yet have them. We have a huge task ahead to deliver an era of urban regeneration and strong regional growth”
“Levelling up is a central task of this Government, and I am massively grateful to my predecessor @JakeBerry for all his hard work in this brief. Jake believes in this agenda passionately and has given it huge momentum and leadership”
Photo: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/PA Images