Member Article

Jeremy Middleton seeks to be North East Mayor with billion pound jobs and investment fund proposal

Politician and entrepreneur Jeremy Middleton has announced his intention to run in the North East’s mayoral election, expected to take place in May next year.

Founder of £50m investment company Middleton Enterprises, which has invested in pioneering North East firms such as Utilitywise and Atom Bank, Jeremy intends to seek a Conservative Party nomination.

Should the Conservatives back Middleton, he would represent what’s classed as the ‘North East Region’ which includes the local authority areas of Newcastle, Durham, Northumberland, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Gateshead, with Teesside standing as a separate region.

Middleton, who sits on the North East Local Economic Partnership board and chairs its investment fund, was also awarded a CBE in 2012 for services to politics and charities.

Core principles of Middleton’s candidacy include support for the NHS, investment in schools and work experience to create more opportunities for young people.

The entrepreneur also declared the need for a billion pound jobs and investment fund to tackle unemployment and create good jobs. Moreover, he has called for a fairer funding settlement for the region and more investment in transport infrastructure.

Jeremy said: “I want to be Mayor because I am passionate about making sure we invest more in skills, apprenticeships and jobs here in the North East. I want our young people to have the same life chances here as they do everywhere else in our country. I’m frustrated that the North East gets a raw deal.

“The old model of trying to run everything in our country from the centre of London is broken. We must not settle for what we are given. There should be no limit our ambition.

“The mayor must be able to stand up to vested interests, both from within our region and from outside it. That is why we need a mayor with a strong independent voice and not a career politician. I am a member of the Conservative Party, however they may or may not endorse me, and whatever the outcome, I do not and will not hesitate to criticise the Government it if it fails to deliver.”

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