MPs are often accused of thinking that “the North” means anywhere above the M25, so it is pleasing to hear George Osborne’s plans to help Northern cities such as Leeds and Manchester compete on the world stage.

But the Chancellor is making a huge mistake if he continues to ignore the North-East in new proposals aimed at extending high speed rail links across the country.

As part of the HS3 scheme, Mr Osborne wants a superfast connection to create a “Northern powerhouse” to compete on the world stage.

The broader idea is to improve road and rail links, so that cities from Hull to Liverpool can band together and make a bigger contribution to the British economy. His plans do not include the likes of Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Durham, Newcastle or Darlington.

The Northern Echo shares Mr Osborne’s concern that too much of the nation’s wealth and economic power is concentrated in London and the South-East.

Improving transport links in the north is a good way to rebalance the economy following savage spending cuts. But a failure to include the region that gave birth to the railways undermines the Government’s claim that it would support the hardest-hit areas.

There was no detail about how Mr Osborne’s plans would be funded, and he doesn’t have timescales for when the new super-fast lines would start.

Conservative support in the north has been declining and Mr Osborne’s statement, which included a call for elected regional mayors, could be seen as a bid to show that the Tories want to increase prosperity beyond their traditional Southern strongholds.

The North East Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Directors last night urged Mr Osborne to include the North-East in any HS3 discussions. As they pointed out, the north of the country does not stop at Leeds.