DAVID Cameron has pledged to close the North-South economic gap with investments in infrastructure and skills.

Upgrading the A66, widening the A19 and an investment of £2.7bn in new trains for the East Coast Main Line are among the promises outlined by the Prime Minister

Mr Cameron said if the Tories won the election he promised to make sure the North grew at least as fast as the rest of the country across the next Parliament.

He said a central goal of a future Conservative government would be to build a “truly national recovery”.

To achieve this, set out a four-point plan:

- Investment in infrastructure

- Backing the science and technology strengths of the north

- Improving skills

- Giving more economic power to local communities

He said: “My message to everyone in the north is simple: the Conservative Party is the party for you. Forget about Labour, they’ve let you down before and they’ll let you down again.

"This time next week, Ed Miliband could be propped up the SNP, funnelling cash north of the border. The only way to stop it, the only way to secure the future of the north, is by voting Conservative.

“We have the ideas, the passion, the desire and yes the track record to create something special here. What I’m pledging to here is nothing less than the most important commitment to the north for decades: we’re going to close the north-south growth gap.

“We’re going to build a Northern Powerhouse, with more jobs and new investment coming to the north.

“The next five years will see a northern surge – and, economically, it will be the most exciting time to be here since the industrial revolution.

“But it all depends on having a Conservative government. If the Scottish Nationalists are in charge, propping up a weak Ed Miliband, the north wont won’t get a look in."

The Tories say this commitment builds on recent progress, with the north growing faster than the south in the most recent year, with the North-West the fastest growing part of the country. Yorkshire had the largest reduction in unemployment rate in the whole country over the last year, and the North-East had the fastest growth in earnings in England.

Jenny Chapman, Labour candidate for Darlington said: “These are just desperate, empty words from David Cameron at the end of his chaotic campaign.

"After five years of ignoring the North, the Tories seem to have rediscovered us a few months before the election but now we get a mixture of re-hashed announcements and vague promises.

"The North-East needs a better plan and a Labour government. We will devolve real power and funding down to the region, so that we can make the decisions to invest in infrastructure, skills and jobs.”