Osborne is back in action – here's what he is up to now

The former chancellor fires up Northern Powerhouse plans

Former chancellor George Osborne today powered up plans to promote his Northern Powerhouse gameplan with a new think tank.

He said today chairing the new body – the Northern Powerhouse Partnership – would “now be a major focus of my political energies”.

He added that he will stay in the Commons to “fight for the things I care about”.

Osborne said: “I don’t want to write my memoirs because I don’t know how the story ends.”

“Politics is a tough business,” he added. “There’s an enormous opportunity now to take part in the decisions that are going to affect Britain… And I want to be there in ultimately, still the place where these decisions are made, the House of Commons, and be part of that decision-making process. Because I want to fight for the things that I care about.”

The MP for Tatton in Cheshire, who was fired by new Prime Minister Theresa May in July, also said: “To be honest, there was a little bit of a wobble about when we had the new administration about whether they were still committed to the concept of the Northern Powerhouse.”

The news comes after the government gave a thumbs up to the £18bn nuclear power station in the UK.

In a statement, the government said: “After Hinkley, the British Government will take a special share in all future nuclear new build projects. This will ensure that significant stakes cannot be sold without the Government’s knowledge or consent.”