It’s been obvious for a very long time that London is a self-perpetuating black hole for money and talent in the UK, and it’s going to be tough to break that up

It’s been obvious for a very long time that London is a self-perpetuating black hole for money and talent in the UK, and it’s going to be tough to break that up. What’s missing is the social analysis here - ambitious people in the UK go to London where they can make more money, and ambitious companies that want ambitious people go to London because that’s where the staff are. London and the SE don’t just fund the rest of the country, they also drain the talent and workers from those areas. London does not have that great economy in isolation from its regions, it has it at least in part by feeding on them. Growing the northern economy (and really anywhere outside the London dormitory belt) is also going to require finding a way to break the low-pay, low-productivity, low-expectations trap that exists across most of the British economy. And doing that will to some extent limit London’s talent pool. It’s not a zero sum game, but also - TAANSTAFL.