THE day after the general election result put David Cameron back in Downing Street and gave Scotland a stronger voice in the corridors of power, The Northern Echo called for unity in the north.

Without it, we face being squeezed out in an economic power struggle between the south of England and Scotland.

We called for better working relationships between the various bodies representing different parts of the wider region, and more devolved powers in strategic areas.

Mr Cameron's appointment of a Tees Valley MP, James Wharton, as the minister in charge of the Northern Powerhouse plan this week was a welcome step in right direction.

And today we welcome the launch of the One Front Door campaign by the North East Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry, calling for an easier path to investment in our region.

If we are to compete with the south and Scotland, we have to come up with a structure which is flexible and robust enough to be appealing to investors. We need to be big enough to overcome local rivalries and realise that we all benefit when a major company lays down roots in the region. Wearside has Nissan but the economic ripples are felt region-wide. Newton Aycliffe has Hitachi but that investment will pay dividends in North Yorkshire, Teesside, and Tyneside as well as County Durham.

We need more Nissans and Hitachis. But to get them we need to be on the economic map as a confident, coherent region with a world-class track record when given the chance to deliver.

We already have a proud reputation but the economic landscape has become a lot more competitive in the last week – and we need to up our game accordingly.