‘They may be Tories but they are human’: how a Labour mayor sealed north-east devolution deal

Jamie Driscoll has formed an unlikely bond with the levelling up secretary, Michael Gove

One is the Jeremy Corbyn-supporting former nightclub bouncer who retired as a jiu-jitsu sensei to enter politics at the age of 48. The other is Michael Gove.

Together they have formed an unlikely bond, aimed at transforming the north-east of England through a “historic” devolution deal which they hope will in turn secure their own political legacies.