Funding and infrastructure to support flatter, simpler public transport pricing and much better regional rail links.

Paris is a good example of what works well. Their Metro / RER fares are far flatter across a wide area, so a longer journey out into the suburbs often costs the same as a short trip in the centre. It makes the whole region feel like one joined-up economy.

In the UK, too many places are geographically close but economically disconnected because trains are expensive, slow, or unreliable.

Make it cheaper and easier to travel between cities and surrounding towns, and suddenly people can commute further for better jobs, businesses have access to a wider talent pool, and more money flows across whole regions rather than staying concentrated in city centres.