Sir Keir Starmer has told councils that they will not be getting extra cash for his levelling-up plans because there is no “magic money tree”.
The Labour leader argued that he could fulfil Boris Johnson’s vision by working better with local authorities and mayors, despite acknowledging that “there isn’t enough money” for councils currently.
Council leaders privately said this was “not credible’ and predicted that Labour would be forced to find more money to deal with a situation where one in five local authorities say they are at risk of bankruptcy.
• Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner vow to revive levelling up
Launching Labour’s local election campaign in Dudley, Starmer said that “levelling up is a good ambition for Britain”, as he embraced Johnson’s goals
