Labour accused of ‘disregard for Darlington’ over Reeves’ visit record

Ms Reeves said she remained committed to the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) after The Northern Echo revealed her record for working from the town.

Rival politicians have argued the campus – which the Chancellor previously said remained “incredibly important”- needs to be paid the attention it deserves. 

The new Darlington Economic Campus site on Brunswick Street (Image: TVCA / TOM BANKS)

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said if Labour is serious about “turning things around” then the Chancellor should “get out of Whitehall and come to Darlington”. 

Ms Reeves said she was not just committed to the DEC, but wanted to grow it even further.

Mr Houchen said: “She should sit down with ordinary working people and the brilliant local pubs, cafes and restaurants who are being battered by the very decisions she’s making in London.

“We fought hard to bring the Treasury to Darlington to drag decision making out of the Westminster bubble and make sure government decisions reflect the priorities of people in the North.

“This Government has missed the point completely. Labour may talk about working people, but it’s clear as day they’re not listening to them.”

Ben Houchen (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Former Darlington MP Peter Gibson said the DEC was one of his proudest achievements from his time serving the town from 2019 to 2024. 

He added: “The DEC is a key part of levelling up, bringing fantastic career opportunities to our community and putting regional voices at the heart of policy making. 

“That the Chancellor doesn’t pay the DEC the attention it deserves is a demonstration of Labour’s disregard for Darlington. 

“Every one I speak to wants the Chancellor to grow our economy. If she spent a bit more time here she might learn a thing or two about how to do that.”

Current Darlington MP Lola McEvoy declined to comment.

Former Darlington MP Peter Gibson (Image: The Northern Echo)

Meanwhile, Jonathan Dulston, leader of the Conservative opposition on Darlington Borough Council, argued: “This just underlines the problem. Labour talks about levelling up, but there’s no real ambition to move power out of Whitehall. 

“If senior ministers aren’t prepared to show up, it’s hard to believe they’re serious about Darlington or the DEC.”

Mr Dulston claimed that, when Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond, was Prime Minister, he regularly attended the offices and “insisted on meeting local leaders face to face”. 

Jonathan Dulston (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

He continued: “That sent a clear message that this town mattered.

“Last year, Chancellor Rachel Reeves spent two working days here and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hasn’t even been inside.

“The DEC was meant to be about real decision making outside London. Without visible leadership and commitment from the top, it risks becoming just another empty promise.”

‘I am not just committed, but want to grow it’

The news that Ms Reeves had only worked from the town’s Treasury offices twice in 2025 came as the Chancellor arrived in town to break ground at the new Brunswick Street site on Friday (January 15).

It means she’s already visited half the number of times she worked from the DEC last year, just 15 days into the year.

The Leeds MP had previously said she wanted to use the DEC regularly and urged fellow ministers to do the same after Labour’s election victory in 2024.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at the site of the new Darlington Economic Campus building (Image: Ian Forsyth/PA Wire)

Speaking exclusively to the Echo last week, she said: “At the moment, I think there are around 1,000 people working in the DEC building.

“This [new] building will hopefully be up by the end of next year, and we’ll have capacity for around 1,600 people.


Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at the site of the new Darlington Economic Campus building (Image: Ian Forsyth/PA Wire)

“We’re building three hubs of this sort in the north of England, and we chose Darlington as one of those three, the others in York and Manchester.

“Not only am I committed to it, I want to see it grow, and I want to see a higher proportion of civil servants based in the north of England.”

Ms Reeves argued that people would be “pretty hard pressed” to say she was not in touch with what’s happening in the north of England. 


However, she would not commit to working more days in the town this year when asked: “I’m not going to give a number because then you’re just sort of chasing an arbitrary number. 

“But anyone that looks at my diary can see that I spend plenty of time in the north of England, not just in buildings, but actually out and about with people.”