The implications for the East will depend on how these policies are funded and implemented, and whether they reflect the region’s varied needs.

The region already appears close to fiscal self-sufficiency. Giving it a stake in future tax growth could turn that strength into the infrastructure and opportunity needed for lasting, shared prosperity.

The East cannot afford years of further institutional limbo. The region needs clarity, properly funded transition and governance capable of delivering growth.

The East still needs substantially greater investment in individual and shared agricultural reservoirs, more flexible abstraction licences, real-time water management and stronger coordination between farmers, Internal Drainage Boards, water companies and public authorities.

An escalating water security crisis demands an urgent solution - and political leadership capable of delivering it.

The designation of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority is an important first step. What matters is what happens next.