Government decision-making and the site of power in New Labour’s ‘levelling up’: reconsidering economic regionalism

Abstract Debates about England’s geographic inequalities and the extent to which the problem is intertwined with the ‘Westminster system’ of government are often light on historical perspective. Few recall that “levelling up” was a New Labour slogan before it was a Conservative one. Making use of recently released archival material and interviews with former ministers and officials, this article explores a project that aimed to tackle England’s geographic inequalities through strategic and unapologetically undemocratic bodies at the regional level, the Regional Development Agencies (1998–2012). This vison of ‘levelling up’ was accompanied by an alternative understanding of how England’s spatial economic divergences relate to wider economic challenges. The project gave new powers and spending to regionally based public bodies despite simultaneously reinforcing political centralisation, demonstrating the ongoing relevance of key aspects of the ‘Westminster Model’ while underlining the need for nuance when employing the framework. Concerning contemporary policy debates, the article invites us to reconsider economic regionalism as a pragmatic means to counter economic disparities while complex political questions and arrangements are worked through.