Tories face ‘annihilation’ in red wall if voters don’t see towns improve soon, MPs tell Boris Johnson

Northern voters must see progress ‘looking out bus window’ or they will return to Labour, PM warned

The PM has been warned there needs to be visible evidence of ‘levelling up’ (PA Wire)

Northern Conservatives have warned Boris Johnson that voters must see action on his promise to “level up” the country or face “annihilation” in the red wall at the next general election.

Red wall Tory MPs told The Independent they are worried about the sluggish pace of infrastructure and improvement projects – saying they need be able to “point” to visible signs of progress before voters go to the polls.

“There isn’t a single spade in the ground yet,” one Tory MP said on work planned in his constituency. “We need to get spades in the ground and deliver more, because people need to see they’re not going to be ignored.”