Steph McGovern

Robert, you're going to kick things off, aren't you, with the serious stuff?

I don't think that's a better title, though, Robert, to be fair.

But in this case... But that feels a bit unfair on the electorate that you only realise this as you come out and then you publish a book about it and don't do it when you're there.

£40 billion worth of tax rises.

On the point which Robert makes around the decisions feeling short-termist, it feels like we're seeing a lot of tactics rather than principled decisions.

And on your point about cutting taxes, when Liz Truss came in and suggested this,

All hell broke loose on the bond markets.

If you can't prove you've got the money coming in, then you get hammered on borrowing costs.

Yeah.

Yeah, well, can I just ask as well, your thoughts on this idea of more of the money being devolved?

So, you know, the English devolution bill, giving regional authorities more discretion over, you know, how they use the region's devolved budget.

I, as someone in the regions and talking to people, you know, obviously it's not all about the North East.

Some fella came up to me in the street the other day and he was like, you're always buying on about the North East.

I live in the South West.

We have problems too, you know.

But there we are.

But I have felt like there's more of an inertia towards change and understanding of what those regions need based on, you know, the potential of using money that's devolved.

Do you think that's part of it?

Do you think that will work?

What does unlock the power in our regions mean?