This article compares Tees Valley in England and Duisburg in Germany to examine left-behindness as an interpreted and politicised condition rather than a direct reflection of socio-economic decline. Drawing on 32 semi-structured interviews with regionally embedded stakeholders, alongside long-run socio-economic and electoral trends, it analyses how decline is narrated, and how political change is understood in two post-industrial settings. The comparison shows that sustained material disadvantage does not generate a uniform sense of being left behind: accounts from Tees Valley more often emphasise neglect and a weak voice, whereas those from Duisburg are more likely to frame decline in relative terms and through institutionally buffered interpretations.