How the ‘naive’ golden boy of levelling up got hit with claims of criminality and corruption

The 36-year-old remains defiant, however. Nevertheless, what “does not pass the sniff test” in the words of Andy McDonald, Labour’s Middlesbrough MP, is how two local developers, Chris Musgrave and Martin Corney, came to take a 90pc stake in Europe’s biggest brownfield site, leaving taxpayers with just 10pc. Teesworks Ltd is a public-private partnership between South Tees Development Corporation – a subsidiary of Tees Valley Combined Authority – and the two developers. They are joint venture partners in another of Houchen’s flagship initiatives, the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s nationalisation of Teesside Airport. “Or it stays derelict and costs the taxpayer £20m-a-year and we don't create any new jobs.” More eyebrows were raised when Musgrave and Corney’s stake in the joint venture was increased from 50pc to 90pc in August 2021 without fanfare.