Manchester mayor candidate Andy Burnham has complained that the Government is paying too much attention to the Midlands - and has neglected the 鈥淣orthern Powerhouse鈥.
Mr Burnham, MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, is candidate to be Greater Manchester Mayor in elections planned for May 2017.
And the Greater Manchester region was at heart of the Northern Powerhouse policy led by George Osborne, the former Chancellor. This was designed to turn the north of England into an economic powerhouse like London.
But Prime Minister , who became Prime Minister in July, promised 鈥渁 plan to help not one or even two of our great regional cities but every single one of them鈥, in what was widely seen as criticism of Mr Osborne鈥檚 obsession with Manchester.
And at the conference in Birmingham鈥檚 ICC in October, Government Ministers delivered a series of speeches highlighting a project called the Midlands Engine, which is designed to promote economic growth in the West Midlands and East Midlands.
It hasn鈥檛 gone un-noticed by Mr Burnham, who complained to Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid, MP for Bromsgrove, in the House of Commons.
And he asked the Government to back High Speed 3, a proposed new rail line linking the North East and the North West.
Mr Burnham said: 鈥淥ne cannot help but notice that all the talk these days is of the Midlands Engine.
鈥淪uddenly, the Northern Powerhouse is about as popular on the Conservative Benches as its originator, the Member for Tatton (George Osborne).
鈥淎lthough I am not against investment in the Midlands, will the Secretary of State give a 鈥媍ast-iron guarantee that manifesto commitments to invest in the north, including in High Speed 3, will not be delayed or diluted by new commitments to the Midlands?鈥
Referring to Mr Burnham鈥檚 mayoral campaign, Mr Javid said: 鈥淚 know that the right honourable gentleman has significant ambitions, but he must not talk down the north at every opportunity.
鈥淗e will know that the Government are as committed as ever to the Northern Powerhouse, and that applies to all our commitments around investment and growth.鈥
Mr Osborne frequently mentioned Manchester in his Budget statements and other financial statements in Parliament - but had less to say about Birmingham.
And Manchester received a series of devolution deals, including control of a 拢6bn health and social care budget.
One of Theresa May's top advisers, Nick Timothy, is from Erdington.
Regional rivalry has not stopped Mr Burnham backing Birmingham relatives of the 1974 pub bombings, which killed 21 people in the city in one of the worst terrorist outrages the country has seen.
Earlier in October at fresh inquests into the killings due to start in November.
Watch: Theresa May told failure to support pub bombing families is shameful
