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Former Chancellor George Osborne is stepping up pressure on the Government to renew the Tyne and Wear Metro fleet and increase investment into the North.

Writing in the Top 200 supplement in tomorrow’s Journal in his role as chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), Mr Osborne says that the ageing Metro fleet “needs to be replaced to kickstart the economy on Tyneside, Wearside and the wider North East”.

Mr Osborne’s call comes as more than 100 businesses in the North East have joined North East England Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in urging the Government to replace the Metro’s ageing vehicles, saying businesses needed a more reliable transport system for their staff.

Mr Osborne also argues that the Government needs to do more on the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project, which aims to provide shorter journey times between Newcastle and the other major cities of the North.

Mr Osborne welcomed a commitment from his successor as Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, of a £300m downpayment on high speed rail in the North.

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But he adds: “Yet there is a long way to go before we can benefit from a modern, high-speed transport system that will bring commuting and travelling between Newcastle-Leeds to 60 minutes. Crucially, NPR would bring seven million more people - and three times the number of businesses - within a 90-minute journey-time of one of our Northern cities.

“The opportunities for investment, growth and job creation would be unparalleled – a genuine Northern Powerhouse.”

In September the Northern Powerhouse Partnership that Mr Osborne leads issued a report - Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity - which called for funding for advanced manufacturing, energy, digital and health innovation to create 850,000 jobs in the North and add £1bn to the UK economy by 2050.

Work on this report threw up two major obstacles standing in the way of the region’s economic success - skills and transport - and the Partnership will be bringing out a report in January aimed at addressing these issues.

Mr Osborne’s words will raise the pressure on Ministers to do more to support the North, coming just a day after the Federation of Small Businesses showed its frustration at lack of firm action on the Northern Powerhouse by saying that the project would fail unless the Government replaced EU funding that has helped hundreds of North East firms create jobs in recent years.

In the Top 200, Mr Osborne says that his group will be bringing out a report in January aimed at addressing these issues.

Organised by The Journal and The Gazette, and run with associate sponsor North East England Chamber of Commerce, the Top 200 is an annual list of the region’s largest companies ranked by turnover. It has been compiled by accountants and fellow sponsors PWC.

With the table will be key facts, figures and background, including analysis of the region’s economy by leading figures from various sectors.

The table also spotlights leading companies that show highest percentage turnover in a year, the largest plcs and private companies and the biggest private equity backed companies.

* The full Top 200 supplement will be in tomorrow’s Journal.