George Osborne met Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China in Manchester last year to promote the north as a centre of excellence RICHARD STONEHOUSE /WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGESGeorge Osborne will warn Theresa May today that he intends to fight to protect his political legacy as he launches a new think tank to promote his devolution agenda. The former chancellor will promise to devote his “political energies” to the new body, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, at its launch at Manchester town hall. The promotion of elected metro mayors to take back powers over investment in transport, infrastructure and skills from Whitehall was a key theme of Mr Osborne’s six years in Number 11. Mrs May’s commitment to his vision has been questioned in recent weeks amid Tory fears…

Source: The Times September 15, 2016 23:26 UTC