More than 50 northern Conservative MPs have called on the Prime Minister not to abandon his plans to "level up" the north in the face of the "disproportionate" impact from Covid-19.

A letter signed by several Cumbrian Conservative MPs was this week sent to Boris Johnson urging the Prime Minister to provide a clear "roadmap" for the north out of lockdown restrictions.

A total of 40 northern Tories signed publicly, while a further 14 signed anonymously. Copeland MP Trudy Harrison is among those yet to confirm whether she lent her support.

Workington MP Mark Jenkinson, Carlisle MP John Stevenson, Barrow MP Simon Fell and Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP David Mundell publicly supported the calls being made by the newest Conservative backbench collective, the Northern Research Group.

These include a "significant reprofiling of government infrastructure commitments" to address the "insufficient" infrastructure across "much of" the north.

First and foremost however, the northern Tories called on Mr Johnson to provide "greater clarity" on what must occur in the north before stricter lockdown measures can be lifted.

"We believe that providing greater clarity about how local areas move down the tiering system and reopen economies would be of benefit to both people and businesses in our region," the letter stated.