THE YORKSHIRE Party is hitting out at the Government's Levelling Up plan - stressing that "talk is cheap".

Party leader Bob Buxton spoke out after Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove unveiled the flagship plan in Parliament this week.

Dr Buxton said: "You can't level-up with powerless mayors: mayors who have very small budgets, mayors who need Westminster to approve and to fund anything big."

"All candidates for West Yorkshire mayor supported a West Yorkshire mass transit system. What might we get? A limited tram system just for Leeds, which will not work without higher speed 'metro-elements' to it. The rest of West Yorkshire gets nothing - Bradford's new station has been cancelled."

"West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin supports the eastern leg of the HS2 high-speed rail line and Bradford's new station. But she was powerless to stop the Tories cancelling them - proof that mayors and combined authorities are powerless, proof that the Tories will not spend on Yorkshire's transport and will not really level-up. Talk is cheap, and that's all they spend in Yorkshire."

"Today's announcement might distract from partygate and buy Boris another week of shame in power. But there's little new money - much less than was cut from Yorkshire when HS2 and Bradford's new station were cancelled."

“More mayors or combined authorities across Yorkshire will achieve nothing, we need real devolution to a Regional Parliament for Yorkshire.”