England: The North-South Divide

The aim of this contribution is to explain and assess the relevance of the North-South divide in England. To achieve this, we start by tracing the roots of the North-South divide discourse, in historical, economic and cultural terms. We also provide a definition of what constitutes North and South in our analysis, before moving on to examine the political dimension of the divide, focusing on electoral behaviour. Through this investigation we both explain and challenge assumptions about the presence of a divide that cuts across England, especially in the contemporary context. We conclude by linking our findings on electoral behaviour to policy strategies devised by central government to address the North-South divide in recent years, and offer a critical assessment of these.