WITH May now Prime Minister, Hammond as Chancellor of the Exchequer and a man with a reputation for being loud-mouthed as foreign secretary, viewers of BBC Parliament may be forgiven for thinking they have accidentally switched over to Dave.

However, despite the former BBC trio’s more than occasional quips about it being “grim up north”, Clarkson at least, being a Yorkshire lad, shared some affinity with God’s own county.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for the newly-appointed holders of the four great offices of state.

Since being announced as Prime Minister, Theresa May has already pledged to close the socio-economic and political rift between London and the rest of England.

Yet, those who pledged to deliver a Northern Powerhouse have too often offered plenty of promises but have come up short on cash and meaningful democratic powers.

Following the EU referendum, the North East and North Yorkshire look set to lose out on £665 million of European funding.

With the Labour Party too busy infighting and the voice of a strong opposition in absentia, it falls to smaller, yet rapidly growing, regional parties such as Yorkshire First to demand that funding is replenished by Westminster and the county is given the powers to be heard in the rapidly changing post-Brexit political world.

Chris Whitwood, Deputy leader, Yorkshire First