Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deliver keynote speech at Great Northern Conference

Boris Johnson will outline his vision for the region at the Great Northern Conference on Thursday. It will include debates on the biggest challenges facing business, education and local government as we emerge from the pandemic and face a post-Brexit world.

Mr Johnson, who is also a former Mayor of London and Foreign Secretary, became Prime Minister last year, and led his party to victory at the General Election of 2019, in which the Conservatives secured an 80 seat majority.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will be among the keynote speakers at the event, which was due to be held at the Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield. Now it is online and free to attend.

See the agenda and book tickets at: https://www.greatnorthernpowerhouse.co.uk

Mr Shapps will provide an insight into the Government’s transport policy at a time when better connectivity is seen as central to the North’s success.

The conference will also feature a speech from Dan Jarvis, Mayor of Sheffield City Region and Henri Murison, the director of The Northern Powerhouse Partnership.

It will include a discussion about the economic importance of education and skills, sponsored by Sellafield Ltd. Later in the day, a debate sponsored by Virgin Money will consider how policymakers can support small businesses as they recover from the impact of Covid-19.

The conference will also host several ‘breakout’ sessions.

One will analyse the importance of a cultural strategy, another, sponsored by Arcadis, will focus on the need to reinvigorate cities and towns post Covid.

A third, ‘Creating a health agenda for the North’, is sponsored by Northern Health Science Alliance.

A session on ‘Manufacturing innovation in the North: powering a green recovery’ is sponsored by the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, part of the University of Sheffield. And there will be a debate about energy and sustainable infrastructure, which is sponsored by Radioactive Waste Management.

The conference is organised by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and The Star’s parent company JPIMedia. It aims to reveal how best to grow the economy and develop opportunities across the North of England.

Register to watch the Great Northern Conference here

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