THE NEW prime minister must take the lead on the Northern Powerhouse, Theresa May's de facto deputy has said.

Cabinet Secretary David Lidington said all Government departments need to be committed to the project, as he visited the University of Manchester's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre yesterday.

Mr Lidington, who is backing Jeremy Hunt in the Tory leadership contest, said it would be for the new leader to decide whether a cabinet minister should be assigned to the Northern Powerhouse.

He said: "I think the key thing is that every government department should feel this is a priority for them.

"What won't work is if other ministers and other departments think the Northern Powerhouse is all down to one man or woman. This has got to be a priority that is owned by every department.

"It seems to me what is key, whether it's Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson, is that the prime minister personally takes the lead and makes very clear that for them the Northern Powerhouse is and remains a cross-government priority."

Earlier this month, 33 regional newspapers including the Telegraph & Argus joined forces to call on Britain's main political parties to commit to work to narrow the country's North-South divide.

Responding to the newspapers' Power Up the North campaign, Mr Lidington said: "My argument is there's a lot to be done still, there's more work, but we shouldn't underrate the successes we have seen already.

"That's been in part down to consistent Government support, £97 million going into Northern Powerhouse Rail, but that's part of £13 billion of Government investment in transport in the North."

He said the funding had been found at a time when public spending nationally was "constrained" due to paying off the deficit.

"I think the Government's commitment is real but I have always accepted there is more that needs to be done," he said.

Mr Lidington said he hoped the new prime minister would see Northern Powerhouse Rail, which would link northern cities, as something of national as well as regional importance.

He said: "Linking up cities in the North with speedier road and rail transport links is one key way in which to increase the economic competitiveness and productivity of the entire region."

He was also asked about statistics produced by think thank IPPR North which show 200,000 more children in the North are living in poor households than in 2014, when the Northern Powerhouse was launched.

Mr Lidington said: "As more people have gone into work than ever before, more of the people on low incomes are people who are in relatively low-paid work rather than those who have been on benefits.

"The number of children who are in workless households has fallen dramatically and continues to fall.

"What we have to do now is to drive up the opportunities for people in work to move to better paid employment.

"We can't relax, we have to continue to do everything we can to improve this country's competitiveness and productivity."