A former Conservative minister who was one of the key architects of the “northern powerhouse” has questioned whether either of the main parties are genuinely committed to devolving powers out of Whitehall.

Jim O’Neill, a former Goldman Sachs banker who served as commercial secretary to the Treasury in David Cameron’s government, said the Conservative manifesto was “striking for having very little detail in it”.

Speaking before a speech on Wednesday urging Cumbrian politicians to push for a devolution deal, Lord O’Neill said: “It is disappointing that there is so little about devolution in it. At the same time, it is clear from Boris’s three speeches that he has given up north, if you can take anything he says seriously, [the Conservatives] seem as though they will be trying to pursue the agenda one would associate with the Cameron days.”

Boris Johnson has previously promised to “do devolution properly” and “maximise the power of the north with more mayors across the whole of the north”.

Asked whether he believed anything Johnson said, O’Neill replied: “I’m chastened by my 17 months as a minister … I’ve had quite a lot of conversations with his people about this stuff and they say all the right things but I’ve heard it before.”

It was after discussions with O’Neill and others that George Osborne came up with the idea of the northern powerhouse in 2014 while he was chancellor, leading to the introduction of elected mayors in city regions such as Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield. Read more

Also Read: ‘Proof NHS at risk under US trade deal’ – Labour

hw.os