The latest news and comment on perceived differences between southern England and the rest of Great Britain
July 2024
Notes and queries
Readers reply: is it true that British people get nicer the farther north you go?
The Guardian view on Labour’s devolution plans: beyond ‘levelling up’
June 2024
There are too many children in care who could be looked after by their families
Letter: A reader whose great-niece is in care calls for systematic change in children’s services and says family-based solutions should be given greater consideration
May 2024
Brief letters
Tone-deaf response to patients’ needs
Brief letters: Deaf people and the NHS | Bob Dylan concerts | Guardian divide | The right bra | Crossword clue
April 2024
Children in care – there’s one in every classroom
Brief letters
Bring Caravaggio to those of us outside the M25
One in 52 Blackpool children in care as poverty soars in north of England
The Guardian view on the failure of Tory levelling up: Labour must learn the lessons
March 2024
The Guardian view on the glories of the north-east: deserving of a wider audience
Editorial: One of the most varied, fascinating and beautiful regions of Europe has one of the smallest tourist economies
Hunt redefines ‘levelling up’ with focus on Cambridge, Canary Wharf and Surrey
Critics say extra funding to key battleground constituencies proves government ‘happy to ignore regional inequality’
UK regional growth gap to widen as London pulls further ahead
The Guardian view on northern metro mayors: potential gamechangers
Less than 20% of town regeneration projects completed in England, figures show
February 2024
The Guardian view on rail reform: think growth, not managed decline
Editorial: A shortsighted cost-cutting strategy risks driving a vital industry into the buffers
The money Sunak ‘saves’ from HS2 seems to be shrinking with every announcement
Simon Jenkins
While the PM makes empty promises to the north, he lacks the courage to cancel the white elephant London-Birmingham line, says the Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
Put aside differences to focus on growth across UK, Ed Balls tells politicians
Former shadow chancellor is one of the authors of a new academic paper on how to bridge the regional divide
January 2024
If Britain’s richest 10% feel they are ‘struggling’, imagine life for the rest
Letters: Jennifer Brown, Nicole Robinson, Chris Tapp and Berty Dodd respond to an article by Anoosh Chakelian on skewed perceptions of wealth
Brief letters
Struggling with tax forms? Hold the line and let HMRC help – it’s worth the wait
