Latest news with #NorthSouthDivide
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
What the Spending Review could mean for Yorkshire
As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her Spending Review later, BBC Yorkshire's Political Editor James Vincent examines what impact her big decisions could have on our region. Trams, nuclear and medical science. We've had a lot of government visits up here in the last week or so – and a lot of ministers, smiling, telling us they are spending money up here to improve our lives.I think most people would be forgiven for casting a slightly cynical glance their way. We've had ministers and prime ministers before in the same places promising the same insist that this time is need to be right, not just to balance up a North-South divide, but also to convince people here that Labour is still their party. A lot of the promises made and cheques written don't actually relate to this week's Comprehensive Spending Review, but instead the fundamental changes which are going to be made to it – and might make it live up to its adjective-led I first interviewed Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street he told me that Labour would get rid of the North-South divide – a very bold winter fuel payments was a sign to many that the party was going in the wrong is hoping that this week is a bit of a changed their minds on winter fuel and they are hoping, in turn, that changes some voters' success in Doncaster has given them a lot to think about. You're going to hear a lot about the Green Book later Spending Review is all about the nuts and bolts of what the government wants to spend money on for the next three Green Book is the name for the government's list of assessments on whether a new project is going to be worth building. It basically looks at whether it will be good value by predicting how much money it will bring in versus how much it will problem, for many, with the current version of the book is that it looks more favourably on projects in the south than in the people and more businesses down there means a quicker, bigger return on if you want to balance up the north and south a different sort of return is chancellor is hoping her rewrite of the book means more projects in the north get past the book and get built.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The REAL North-South divide revealed - and why it's all to do with how you eat your fish and chips
It's a question that has rankled England for years - just where does the North-South divide lie? Researchers have tried for years to settle the debate, drawing lines as far north as Manchester and as far south as Leicester. Some have drawn a straight line linking the Severn Estuary with The Wash - a deep score in the landscape that cuts across Coventry and Northampton and bisects Cheltenham. Studies have tried and failed to definitively declare the driving force setting the geographical barrier: health, poverty, inequality, house prices, political voting patterns and public investment. Many have tried to identify the point at which 'hello' becomes 'ey up'. None have yet succeeded. But a new survey of Brits argues that the true north-south divide isn't dictated by anything as mighty as paramount as politics. It is, in fact, dictated by what we put on our fish and chips. A sweeping survey of 2000 people across the UK has revealed that there is a clear and unequivocal geographical divide in the condiments drizzled, squirted and squeezed onto our chippies, chippers and fish suppers. The poll, conducted for supermarket Iceland, found that curry sauce was the sauce of choice in areas such as the East Midlands, North East, North West, Yorkshire and Wales. But in regions such as Hertfordshire, London, Devon and Cornwall and the West Midlands, ketchup is king among takeaway lovers. The true definition of the north-south divide, the supermarket argues, is in fact not a clear divide at all. It is, in fact, a squiggly line running north from Bristol, looping around the West Midlands before gravitating along the northern edge of East Anglia. Paul Dhaliwal, chief commercial officer at Iceland, said the poll had originally been conceived to identify the ways chip shop orders differ across the country: mushy peas; scraps; pickled onions. But it was when they examined the sauciest parts of the data that they realised they had happened upon a decisive trend. 'We noticed a clear divide between the sauce on Northern and Southern orders,' he said. 'We have now officially identified the dividing line between the two regions - and its curry sauce that's the outlier. 'The debate between where the North starts can now be settled: if you live in Wales and Nottingham, you're Northern. 'But if you live in Birmingham, Coventry or anywhere below Northampton, consider yourself Southern.' Exclusive data provided to MailOnline reveals that every region surveyed identified a clear relative majority preference of either ketchup or curry sauce. Across the 'North', between 39 and 46 per cent of cod-scoffers say they have their dinner with curry sauce, while in the 'South' between 39 and 49 per cent make ketchup their condimental companion. And thanks to the majority of the population being based above the newly defined line, curry sauce wins out as a chip shop favourite against ketchup in the rankings of what Brits love to order the most: 29 per cent versus 22 for the red sauce. Northerners like scraps - the crunchy leftover batter - on the side; Southerners would rather have a battered sausage as an extra treat. There are two unifying (or is that unifrying?) factors: both agree that a portion of fish and chips is not complete best with lashings of salt and vinegar, and a side of mushy peas. Around 42 per cent of Brits apply seasoning, and 28 per cent say their meal isn't complete without the green side. To mark the creation of the new geographical divide, Iceland plans to park a fish and chip fan just north of the new border - outside its Skegness supermarket - from 11.30am on Friday. There will be free fish and chips while stocks last, a 'sauce' told the Mail. For those who can't make it down, Iceland has relaunched its range of Harry Ramsdens frozen fish and chips across the UK including fish, chips and, yes, pots of curry sauce.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The constituencies in England and Wales where women are most likely to die young
The constituencies of England and Wales where women are most likely to die young can today be revealed. Blackpool South has the highest premature mortality rate of 484.6 for every 100,000 women, MailOnline analysis shows. Although that rate appears low, it is 3.4 times higher than in Wokingham – the area of the country where women have the best chances of avoiding an early grave. The affluent Berkshire town had a rate of just 141 per 100,000. Mortality data held by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which defines premature deaths as anything before 75 and calculates an age-standardised value, lay bare a clear North-South divide. Out of the 20 constituencies with the worst premature death rates, 16 of them were in the north and three in the Midlands. The only one outside the north and midlands was sixth place Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney (407) in Wales. For comparison, 19 out of 20 areas with the lowest figures were in the south. Blackpool has been struggling to recover economically from a reduction in tourist numbers over the past few decades. Pictured: The resort in 2009 What counts as a premature death? Someone is counted as dying prematurely if they die before the age of 75. Statisticians use age-standardised mortality rates to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. The rate is usually per 100,000 population. The only northern location in the best 20 locations was Wetherby and Easingwold (162), located just outside York, which came in 19th place. World-renowned physician Dr Karol Sikora said that, for women, rates above 350 are unacceptably high. Only 34 out of the 575 (5.9 per cent) constituencies in England and Wales fell below this mark. Veena Raleigh, a senior fellow at health charity The King's Fund, believes more needs to be done to fight health inequality. She told MailOnline: 'Mortality in women in this country has for too long been much higher than it should be. 'Our female life expectancy is amongst the lowest of all of Western European and other high income countries. 'In the most deprived areas, between 2010 and the pandemic, life expectancy for women actually fell. 'This is a story of two halves really, between the more and less deprived areas. 'Reducing socio-economic inequalities is critically important for reducing these health inequalities, and targeted action is needed to reduce risk factors such as smoking and obesity. 'It's great that the Government, introduced the sugar tax a while ago. But we need many more targeted interventions to ensure that food manufacturers, for example, reduce the amount of sugar, salt, and fat in ready-made meals.' Premature deaths might happen from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, injuries, violence and even suicide. The ONS data, which defines a premature death to be anything before 75, does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland. It is also different to life expectancy, which is typically lower in Scotland due to the well-publicised problems of high alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, sedentary behaviour and smoking rates (which are slightly higher than England). Scotland also has the worst drug death rate in Europe, which in 2022 were 2.7 times as high as the rates for England and Northern Ireland, and 2.1 times as high as the 2022 rate in Wales. Blackpool has also long been plagued with widespread drug and alcohol abuse, mental health crises and high suicide rates. These types of deaths have been described by the bleakly poetic phrase 'deaths of despair' by health researchers. A study in 2022 revealed that the UK has some of the most extreme regional health inequalities among developed nations. Think tank The Health Foundation found in a 2020 study that people under 75 living in the poorest tenth of England are around three times more likely to die in the next year than someone of the same age living in the richest tenth. And analysis by Cancer Research UK has suggested that 33,000 extra cases of cancer in the UK each year are associated with deprivation. The charity said that these cases, which is nearly one in 10 (9.1 per cent), could be avoided if health inequalities were tackled. Lung cancer is the leading cause of the extra cases linked to deprivation, mostly because smoking is much more common with those living in deprived areas. They are also more likely to be overweight or obese, which is the second biggest preventable risk factor for cancer after smoking. Deprived people are also less aware of cancer symptoms and also experience more barriers to seeking help – such as getting an appointment at a time that works for them. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'These are not just statistics, but real lives cut short, families devastated, and communities suffering. 'This government inherited a country divided by health inequalities – life chances and life expectancy should not be determined by where you live. 'Through our Plan for Change, we will tackle this head on and deliver on our commitment to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions in England.'
