Almost half of net jobs growth in England since 2010 has been in London and the South East.
According to a report by the Fabian Society thinktank, just 2% of employment growth was in the North East, compared with 46% in London and the South East.
The society’s report on regional inequality and poverty, chaired by former Newcastle council leader Nick Forbes, also identified twin regional crises in the economy — low growth outside the South East and high levels of poverty in London owing to the city’s housing market overheating.
The report said there was evidence of regional inequality “without parallel in the developed world”, with the gap in disposable income per head widening “significantly” since 2010.
It recommended devolution of economic development and Jobcentre support to mayors, as well as more housebuilding on the greenbelt and public control of bus services across England.
The report dismissed the government’s levelling-up programme as “bullish, optimistic rhetoric about regions outside of London”.
