I HAVE to admit to being somewhat puzzled by this newly created group of 55 Tory MPs with northern constituencies which goes by the name of the Northern Research Group.

I say this because they claim to be concerned that Boris Johnson is abandoning his plans to level up the North and bring long needed investment to our region.

What on earth made them think that Mr Johnson was serious about helping the North in the first place? Let’s examine the evidence.

Boris Johnson is a man who has made a career out of over promising and under delivering.

There was the garden bridge in London, when he was mayor, on which a staggering £53m was spent to achieve precisely nothing.

Then there has been the non-existent “Boris airport” and perhaps most infamously of course the ‘oven ready’ deal with the EU that he promised in the election campaign last year and which has turned out to be nothing of the sort.

It is hard not to discern a pattern here. Anybody thinking that Johnson will stick to his pledge to “level up the North” has clearly not being paying attention.

But then, since when did the North seriously expect any favours from the Tories?

Peter Sagar, Heaton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.