Westminster be warned – Britain’s future will be decided in the north. Get on the right side of that | Andy Burnham

The next general election will be won or lost in the north of England .

We need to prepare for a campaign that won’t be a traditional choice from the main parties but of two fundamentally different worldviews.

By setting its face against net zero , Reform UK is turning its back on the north’s best chance of bringing back high-quality, well-paid jobs in large numbers.

If you add a commitment to fix our broken transport system and build the new rail infrastructure we need, this new deal for the north can be made to stack up. But, as the Convention of the North will no doubt make abundantly clear, it will require Whitehall to focus on the north in a way it never has before. Time is short it must do so now. - Andy Burnham is the mayor of Greater Manchester .