Dr Timothy Heppell quoted in the Guardian

Dr Heppell, lecturer in British politics, shares his insight on the recent announcement of a second Conservative party headquarters to be located in Leeds.

The article, Why Leeds for Tory HQ? 'It's the unsung success story of the north', expresses that “the move is intended to cement the party’s position in a part of the country that voted strongly to help Boris Johnson secure a landslide victory in the last election”.

In the piece Dr Heppell states that “after claiming that their ambition is ‘levelling up’, and having acquired a number of northern constituencies within the so-called Red Wall, the Conservatives need to demonstrate their commitment to the north”.

He anticipates that “the Labour party may well counter by arguing that this is presentational gloss” and goes onto explain that “the impact of the austerity agenda has been disproportionately felt across the north, and the politics of substance means more than the politics of symbolism”.