MORE than 40 per cent of jobs in the North could eventually be taken by robots, according to research for a new report.

The ‘State of the North’ report by think-tank IPPR North also said Brexit would have nearly twice the impact on gross domestic product in the North than it would in London.

But there was good news with 46,000 new jobs predicted to be created in the digital sector by 2030, if the sector continues its current 2.8 per cent annual growth.

The author of the report, Luke Raikes, said the North could also help lead the fight against global warming as it was already producing more than one third of the UK’s renewable electricity total.

So-called ‘Millennials’, those born between 1980 and 1995, would make up more than half of the North’s electorate by 2030, he said.

Mr Raikes, a senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: “They will inherit a number of huge challenges from the older generations.

“Climate change is likely to have severe effects, robots and automation could threaten their job opportunities and they will have to pay for the care of older people who live much longer than ever before.

“They didn’t cause these problems, but they will have to find the solutions.

“The Government should stop dithering and devolve real economic power to the North so that its millennials can really take control.”