THE North’s leaders have been accused of political impotence in the fight to prise more powers away from Westminster.

Speaking during a debate on what Scottish independence would mean for the North of England, David Bell, a highly respected professor of economics at Stirling University, said: “The elephant in the room is the lack of political impetus from the North of England.”

Echoing calls for the North to have its own Alex Salmond or Boris Johnson, Prof Bell questioned who would represent the region in the post-independence referendum negotiations.

Those talks are seen as crucial for the North’s economic future, whether or not Scotland goes it alone following September 18’s vote.

The latest polls show the ‘no’ vote in the lead, but with a large number of Scots still undecided.

Prof Bell also said if Scotland votes no but gets more devolved powers, the gap in influence between Edinburgh and the North would be too wide and “cannot continue to be stable”.

Responding at the IPPR North debate, held at Newcastle’s Assembly Rooms today (Thursday, March 27), Pat Ritchie, the former Homes and Communities Agency chief executive who now heads Newcastle City Council, said the only certainty was “uncertainty for some time to come”.

But she urged the North against being “too hung up on what Scotland might or might not do”, instead focusing on securing a “fair deal” for itself, whatever the outcome.

Prof John Mawson, from Durham University, raised the prospect of a North-East elected regional assembly – a plan soundly rejected in a 2004 referendum.

Ms Ritchie, herself a Scot, said councils could work together, including through the proposed Combined Authority.

However, others claimed the region was its own worst enemy, failing to agree a single Local Enterprise Partnership for the region and arguing over the Combined Authority plan Ms Ritchie said it was important to “work through the birth pains”.

Yesterday, the Confederation of British Industry claimed economic plans for Scottish independence did not add up. Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the report “one-sided”.