LIZ Truss has been told to focus on leveling the agenda to ensure the north-south divide gets smaller, northern Tory MPs say.
The prime minister will face the electoral fallout if they follow the pledges of Boris Johnson opportunities more evenly across the country.
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The calls come on the eve of the Conservative Party conference starting in Birmingham this weekend with a call to help the High Street thrive.
A third of votersincluding 1 in 5 people who voted Conservative in 2019, were less likely to vote Tory with no noticeable improvement in their immediate environment.
Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake added: “Urgent action is needed to boost private sector investment in our northern cities.
“Corporate tariff reform is one such lever that the government could use to revitalize our local communities.”
Fellow Tory MP John Stevenson said efforts to “retain talent and attract private investment” must be carried out to increase productivity in cities.
Research for the Retail Jobs Alliance, a group of retail companies and unions, found that of the 50 constituencies with the highest percentages empty shops about 90% need most leveling.
The report calls for a freeze on corporate rates before reforming them.
Will Tanner, director of the Onward think tank, warned: “If the conservatives stop raising the level, they will not only disappoint millions of voters who believed in that promise, but also lose their chances of a majority.”