London 'to grow twice as fast as north despite Conservative policies'

Despite plans to create a 'northern powerhouse', CEBR predicts that the north-south divide will widen over the next decade without more political action

The economic gap between London and other major cities will widen significantly in the next 10 years, undermining the chancellor's push to create a "northern powerhouse", according to a report.

London's economy is forecast to grow 27% by 2025 - almost twice the combined rate of growth in northern English cities, the report by law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics & Business Research (CEBR) found.