SEVERAL of the major newspaper titles across the north of England have joined forces in a united call to the party leaders in the wake of the Scottish referendum.

For the first time in their history, The Northern Echo (Newsquest) and The Journal (Trinity Mirror) share front pages, while other titles carry the same message, that the northern English regions must be treated fairly in order to compete with London and a more powerful Scotland.

Below is The Northern Echo's editorial comment.

A united call for fairness

"WHILE the people of Scotland were voting on whether they would be better off living in an independent nation, here in the North-East of England there has been a coming together of some of the North’s biggest daily newspapers behind a united call.

In an unprecedented move by the regional press, The Northern Echo has joined forces with The Journal and The Chronicle in Newcastle, The Yorkshire Post, the Manchester Evening News, and the Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough to send a powerful message to the main party leaders. We are telling them that a debate is needed to ensure the North of England does not suffer unfairly in the aftermath of the Scottish referendum.

In their desperate scramble to save the United Kingdom, David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg delivered a vow to the people of Scotland which was published on the front page of the Daily Record.

There now needs to be a promise that the Northern regions of England will not be over-shadowed or neglected in the aftermath of the Scotland’s day of destiny.

The detail can follow but there needs to be at least a vow to engage with the North about how it will be equipped to compete on more equal terms, not just with London, but a more powerful Scotland.

This is not a call for a revival of the elected regional assembly proposal which was so clearly rejected by the people of the North-East a decade ago. That is dead in the water.

We do not seek another tier of government. What we do seek is a stronger voice in Westminster and greater control over our own affairs.

The party leaders were shockingly complacent over the mood in Scotland. Now that the votes have been counted north of the border, there must be no complacency over the North of England."