BORIS Johnson wants to create county “sheriffs” with the same powers as big city mayors.

The PM suggested these local leaders could have control over policing, travel and planning as part of his “Levelling Up” agenda.

The former Mayor of London offered scant detail yesterday of how his plan would work in unveiling proposals that would take powers from Westminster.

He even asked in his speech in Coventry for punters to email him with a name for the new politicians — with social media quick to brand them sheriffs.

But the PM told the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre it was time to “rewrite the rule book” and to take a “more flexible approach to devolution” in England.

He said towns should get “the tools to make things happen for their communities”.

And Mr Johnson argued: “There is no reason why our great counties cannot benefit from the same powers we’ve devolved to city leaders.”

But he cautioned it could yet come back to haunt the Tories if left-wing and Labour leaders seized control. The PM got into hot water last year for branding devolution to Scotland a “disaster” and has had battles with Labour mayors such as Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham on Covid.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the ideas “all soundbites and no substance”.

Most read in Politics

Mr Johnson also took aim at Dominic Cummings.

He vowed to stick to his goal of rebalancing Britain, after the ex-No10 aide called the PM a “shopping trolley” veering in different directions.

Mr Cummings wrote on his blog the speech was a “joke”.

Source: Read Full Article