Levelling Up - Can the UK improve inequalities without big spending?

Faisal Islam asks whether government is going to be able to reduce regional income inequality without a significant increase in state spending.

Some people have pointed out that only when governments have been prepared to spend big - as in the case of post-reuinification Germany - have such moves been successful. Germany spent £70bn a year on fiscal transfers to tackle regional inequality.

Inequality is multi-faceted, and takes many forms - so as Faisal Islam concludes it more about "processes" rather than outcomes.

However, he also suggests that it's "ambitious" - and it is - but I don't think the ambition matches up with the intention of the policy. I don't think that it's a sincere attempt to level up and that the policy is more about trying to create the impression of levelling up.