The UK has the most regionally unbalanced economy in Europe. Time for change

To reinvigorate our economy and end the productivity crisis, our industrial strategy needs direction - and a rethink on the role science and technology can play

For a long time, industrial strategy was something that belonged in the 1970s, along with British Leyland and cars with square steering wheels. But after the decade of stagnation that followed the 2007 financial crisis, the idea that our economy might need some strategic direction no longer seems far-fetched.

Later this month, the government is expected to publish its industrial strategy white paper. Ahead of that, the Industrial Strategy Commission - an independent initiative by the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, of which I'm a member - has today published its own recommendations.