I’M fuming about the interview Prime Minister David Cameron gave to the local BBC this week, again and again evading the question on a Barnett formula for the North.

Persistent questioning by reporter Mark Denten finally forced Mr Cameron to admit that the five million Scots get an additional £1,600 each per year compared to us, yet all he could say was that the same cannot be done for all of England’s 55m population – completely off the point.

It is we in the North-East and Yorkshire who need our own Barnett formula to redress the balance, not the south of England which is doing far better by comparison.

Refusing to answer questions is one of the things that has caused the public’s deep distrust of politicians, and sadly our PM is a past master at the art of evasion and obfuscation.

Chris Foote-Wood, Prospective Parliamentary LibDem candidate for Richmond, Darlington