Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Dan Norris MP alongside his regional mayor colleagues at a meeting in Downing Street on Tuesday, July 9. The meeting, in the first full week of the Labour Government, shows the government is “hitting the ground running” says Dan Norris and that “regions are set to be at the heart of shaping the future of the UK.” Sir Keir Starmer suggested the Labour Government would be “bold” about pushing resources out of Whitehall with new powers for mayors over areas like transport, skills and energy. The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, who attended the meeting, asked Mr Norris to draw up a new Local Growth Plan and identify local specialisms to contribute to a national industrial strategy. Sir Keir Starmer promised to hold regular meetings with Mr Norris and England's mayors. Following his meeting with the Prime Minister this morning, Mayor Dan Norris MP said: "The Prime Minister meeting regional mayors is a positive example of the new government hitting the ground running.
"I have been delivering on skills, the environment and transport for the last four years, including Birthday Buses to get more residents to use the bus, and look forward to working with a Labour government with the same priorities.”