An MP has demanded the Prime Minister set out which schemes will be prioritised as part of the commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.

Tatton MP Esther McVey said the project is crucial to ending the north-south divide and told the Commons “the importance of the North will be heard.”

Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions she hit out at jeers from Labour opposition benches as they tried to silence her questioning and accused Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn of political correctness and Marxism only caring about Islington North or North Korea. 

Ms McVey said: “Ending the north-south divide is so important and it is disgusting that when I am asking which schemes the Prime Minister is going to prioritise I am being shouted down by Labour MPs. It is clear what they think of the north. 

“This is vital to my constituency and the wider area and I will keep doing everything I can to drive the Northern Powerhouse forward. We need to know what schemes Government are being considered and prioritised and as Labour MPs were so intent on sneering as the Prime Minister was replying I will write to her to get the answers instead. I will make sure the North is heard and continues to be heard.”

The idea for a Northern Powerhouse was introduced by former Tatton and Chancellor George Osborne in 2014 with the aim of redressing the North-South economic imbalance. Government wants to attract investment into northern towns and cities and end the perception that London is driven by the financial services and the north by manufacturing, science and technology. 

Prime Minister Theresa May said: “She (Esther) refers to the voice of the North being heard and it has indeed been heard by the Conservatives in Government and that is why it is a Conservative government that committed and remains committed to the Northern Powerhouse. It is why it is a Conservative Government that is putting in the investment in skills and transport infrastructure into the Northern Powerhouse and we are backing business growth across the North, as I saw when I visited the North West last week. 

The PM said £13 billion of infrastructure investment is going into the North, including £60 million for looking at the Northern Powerhouse Rail - also known as HS3, which will connect Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull.

Mrs May added: “It is the Conservatives in Government that recognise the importance of a country that works for everyone and growth across the whole country.”