| Used to being in attack mode in recent months, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was unusually on the defensive during a BBC Radio Humberside phone-in yesterday over remarks made by his Shadow Health Secretary. Sir Keir said it was "inappropriate" for Wes Streeting to call Jeremy Corbyn "senile" – but insisted there is a "world of difference" between that and recent scandals in the Tory party. Mr Streeting has apologised for his remark in Parliament, saying it was made "in jest". But the Labour leader suggested recent rows surrounding the conduct of senior Ministers were far worse, adding: "I think there's a world of difference." Rishi Sunak has faced questions over his judgement after reappointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary six days after she was forced to quit over a security breach. He also brought former Scarborough fireplace salesman (and occasional Cabinet Minister) Sir Gavin Williamson back into Government despite being told he was under investigation for allegedly bullying former chief whip Wendy Morton. Sir Gavin has since quit subsequently after being hit by claims he bullied a former Ministry of Defence official and engaged in "unethical and immoral" behaviour while chief whip - you can see our cartoonist Graeme Bandeira's take on the controversy in today's email. 
Northern students learning how to take on the old boys' network State school pupils make up 93% of the country but a much smaller proportion of some of our top professions, with just 34% of FTSE 350 CEOs and 35% of senior judges not educated privately. The disparity prompted the setting up of The 93% Club, which describes itself as a members' club to rival some of the most exclusive and expensive clubs in the UK. According to their website they're taking a centuries-old system and repurposing it to change society and tackle social immobility head on.  Imogen Carr grew up in Preston and went to Lancaster University. Image by Carly Holds
Today they're hosting a big Northern conference in central Manchester - including a speech by mayor Andy Burnham - with 150 students to help them discover the wealth of opportunities available outside of London and the South East. Imogen Carr, the club's Head of Mentoring, says inequality is really obvious in her hometown of Preston, Lancashire, where deprivation rates are in the top 20% of the country and life expectancy is lower than the national average. And she tells this week's episode of The Northern Agenda podcast that she saw the concept of 'it's not what you know, it's who you know' in play when she went to Lancaster University. She said: "Students from higher income families [were] likely to have access to the connections that are needed, the knowledge that's needed to obtain work experience and internships or things like that, to make it easier to get into professions that they want to go into." 
Meanwhile on this week's episode, Liverpool Echo Political Editor Liam Thorp takes us through some of the big stories going on in Merseyside. Have a listen to see whether you agree with his theory about why so many top Tories come from his area...
North told: God helps those who help themselves  An artist's impression from 2019 about how Manchester's innovation district might look
There were some sobering figures at yesterday's Northern Economic Summit at Manchester's Pendulum Hotel, where a top academic told the audience that in terms of productivity areas like the North East were comparable with poorer parts of southern and eastern Europe rather than rich nations like Germany. Professor Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Manchester University, spoke at the summit organised by Manchester-based Open Forum Events and devoted to the topic of how the North can take control of levelling up. Speaking alongside experts from the public and private sector, Prof Georghiou cited examples of how the North was heeding the Greek proverb 'God helps those who help themselves' with some exciting schemes to boost innovation. As well as the ID Manchester innovation district and the boom in graphene firms, he focused on Northern Gritstone, a new investment firm aiming to attract investment capital to turn the ideas of Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds academics into viable businesses. The £215m raised so far is a 'step change' but Prof Georghiou said it had "woken up the other venture capitalists" and "quite a few of them who are in London are now opening branches". He added: "A firm based in St Pancras has just invested in a start-up not 100 metres from where we are and a couple of others have asked us for office space, so that's one way we've helped ourselves."
Gove unveils cash boost to unlock potential of 'tourist mecca'  Michael Gove with local Tory MP Scott Benton and others in Blackpool
Bustling Manchester may be in a position to help itself but on the coast, towns like Blackpool still need support from central government if they're to thrive. And in his first major intervention since being reappointed as Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove today announced a £40m investment of funds to unlock the next phase of regeneration in the heart of the Lancashire seaside resort. The cash will be used to demolish and relocate Blackpool Magistrates' Court – freeing up the state-of-the-art Blackpool Central complex for £300m of leisure developments. Officials said the project had stalled because there was no funding to move the courts currently situated within the proposed site, and this risked scuppering the entire £300 million private sector-led regeneration scheme. It's hoped the scheme will create 1,000 jobs and attracti 600,000 more visitors to the seaside town each year. Mr Gove, who handily was in Blackpool this week anyway chairing day two of the British-Irish Council summit, said: "Blackpool is always going to be a tourist mecca, it is always going to be a hospitality super-town. "But it is also the case that we need to make sure Blackpool has the schools, the high-tech jobs and the high quality homes that its citizens deserve."
Meanwhile in Sheffield, South Yorkshire's metro mayor has called for a radical rethink in how laws are made to stop power being centralised in Westminster and to make devolution work better for English regions. Delivering the SPERI Annual Lecture at the University of Sheffield, Labour's Oliver Coppard said power was too concentrated in Westminster. He argues that metro mayors like himself could have law-making powers and a direct voice in government in a reformed Upper House of Parliament. Mr Coppard said: "We have a UK government that acts as if we can still direct from the centre, even as our economies have both globalised and localised. The political result is predictable: those industries close to power in London with the ear of ministers, have the most sway."
Warm words from Minister with 'personal connection' to Bradford  Louise Haigh in Bradford with Mark Casci from the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Henri Murison of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Bradford council leader Susan Hinchcliffe and Andy Clarke of Manchester Airports Group
Back in July a critical report by the Commons Transport Select Committee (then chaired by MP Huw Merriman) urged the Government to revisit the evidence base for its controversial vision for the North's railways. A few months later the same Mr Merriman has gone 'poacher-turned-gamekeeper', telling a conference in his new capacity as Rail Minister that the Government is "committed" to the cut-price Integrated Rail Plan that so disappointed Northern leaders. But he did have some warm words for Bradford, left without a high speed station in the Government's plans on the grounds that including it in a full-fat Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme would be too expensive. He told the Railway Industry Association's annual conference: "I can tell you I have a personal connection to Bradford and the Prime Minister himself over the summer said that we are working on our options to make an assessment of what can be done with Bradford. That's work that the Department (for Transport) is doing." While in No 10, Liz Truss backed a full-fat vision for NPR between Liverpool and Hull, pledging that expanded plans would include a stop at a new station in Bradford. But Business Secretary Grant Shapps hinted NPR would be scaled back under new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In Bradford yesterday, Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh met council leader Susan Hinchcliffe and others to discuss the issue, with Cllr Hinchcliffe saying she "won't take no for an answer" on Northern Powerhouse Rail.
A harrowing picture of the housing market for first-time buyers is painted by Leeds Building Society today, with prospective buyers putting plans on ice due to concerns over unaffordable mortgage rates and rocketing rises in energy, living costs and rents. The research, conducted in late October, suggests 60% of those looking to buy in the next five years have decided to delay their purchase because of the rising cost of living (21%), higher mortgage rates (19%) and falling house prices (20%). But it says a possible solution is Shared Ownership, a government scheme which lowers the deposit required as users effectively buy part and rent part of their home. Richard Fearon, CEO of Leeds Building Society, said: "There is a clear lack of awareness about the benefits of Shared Ownership and lenders, brokers and estate agents all have a role to play in changing that. "However, delivering meaningful change to the housing market requires a number of more structural issues, including building more homes. That's why we've published our 'Housing Roadmap' of seven changes that need to happen to create a housing market that functions for everyone."
'There was pure rage': Student speaks out after eggs thrown at King in York  Police empty contents (left) from the pockets of a protester, which includes an unthrown egg, as they detain him for throwing eggs at King Charles III
A York student arrested on suspicion of pelting the King and Queen Consort with eggs during their visit to the city this week has claimed the crowd around him reacted to the incident with "pure rage". Patrick Thelwell, 23, spoke to The Mirror after being released on bail by North Yorkshire Police following the incident at Micklegate Bar on Wednesday. The royal couple had just arrived in the city to unveil a statue in honour of the late Queen at York Minster when a figure in the crowd threw four eggs, all of which missed. The man was heard to shout "this country was built on the blood of slaves" as he was detained by police. Mr Thelwell told The Mirror: "After I was arrested the experience of that crowd, literally screaming and wailing with pure rage. Saying that my head should be on a spike, that I should be murdered on the spot. "It doesn't phase me because I understand what fascism is, what it looks like. People were ripping chunks of my hair out, they were spitting at me. People lost their minds." He said his bail conditions included not going within 500m of the King and not possessing eggs in a public place, which he claimed to have had amended so he could do his groceries. 
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Northern Stories  The Teesworks chimney demolition (Image: Stuart Boulton)
- An explosive demolition has razed yet another piece of the former Redcar steelworks to the ground. The late-night demolition was triggered by former plant worker Mark Colley, 59, who helped put the Redcar Sinter Plant main stack up back in the 1990s. The mechanical engineer, who first began working at Redcar steelworks when he was just 15-years-old, worked at the Sinter Plant from 1986 to 2010. The 105-metre-high concrete chimney has not been used since late 2015.
- A Northern MP has claimed there is a "whisper network list" of roughly 40 politicians to avoid in Westminster. Charlotte Nichols, who represents Warrington North, said she was sat down when she first arrived in Parliament and presented with the names of dozens of MPs to keep at arm's length. She told BBC Radio 5 Live she was told she should never be alone with these people, accept a drink from them or share a lift with them. Indeed, she was advised she should try to avoid them "as far as possible" to keep herself safe, she recalled.
- A dispute involving dock workers at one of the country's biggest ports has ended after they voted to accept a pay offer. Unite said its members employed by Peel Ports in Liverpool have won pay hikes between 14% and 18%. The union said about 600 workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of the deal at a mass meeting. The dock workers will now resume normal work duties, ending a wave of strike action that began in September.
- Labour former minister Kate Green has formally resigned as an MP, setting up a by-election in the safe seat of Stretford and Urmston in Manchester. It comes after she was announced as Andy Burnham's choice for Greater Manchester deputy mayor. Metro mayors and their deputies cannot be an MP at the same time if their responsibilities include powers over the police. Ms Green, a former shadow education secretary, is set to replace Baroness Bev Hughes, who announced on Wednesday she was leaving the role after five years.
- Prestonians are being asked to dig deep to help keep the beat alive at iconic city music venue The Ferret. The race is on to find the final £150,000 needed for a national music charity to buy the building in which Preston's only certified grassroots gig spot is based. Preston City Council granted The Ferret what is known as "asset of community value" status after the Fylde Road property was put on the market by its landlord. That gave the venue six months' grace by putting a temporary block on the feared sale of a stage which played host to the likes of Ed Sheeran at the start of his career.
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