Tory MP admits no-one knows what the government flagship policy means

As we saw throughout Brexit and the pandemic, the Conservative government loves a short, snappy catchphrase.

One of their most favoured political slogans at the moment is the promise of “levelling up” – a whole government department has even been rebranded to incorporate the name.

Boris Johnson’s flagship policy of levelling up the country has been banded around a lot, but what does it actually mean?

According to the government’s website for the campaign, it means “opportunities wherever you are”.

If you’re still left scratching your head, you wouldn’t be the only one as even a Tory MP has revealed he also has no idea what levelling up is.

A tweet by the Chief Political Commentator at Times Radio, Lucy Fisher, claimed Conservative MP Jake Berry confirmed no one truly knows.

She wrote: “He [Berry] concedes to @MattChorley [radio colleague]: ‘No one really knows what ‘levelling up’ means, but when we see it, we’ll all know.’”

One person commented: “Very good. It’s just a meaningless slogan. Good to hear the truth at last.”

Another wrote: “Nobody knows what levelling up means. But we DO know what it isn't. Children going to school hungry.

“Pensioners terrified of putting any heating appliances on. Parents having sleepless nights worrying about where the next meal is coming from.”

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“Magnificent,” someone else remarked.

Among the “levelling up missions” listed in Micheal Gove’s plans, they include boosting pay, jobs, transport connectivity and research and development spending in less-prosperous areas to “restoring local pride” in those communities.

But the plans have been widely criticised for being vague and impossible to measure.

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