Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced a sweeping £15.6 billion investment in transport infrastructure across England, targeting regions outside London ahead of next week's Government spending review.
The announcement comes as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK continues to gain ground in the polls.
The investment, unveiled in a speech in Manchester, will fund tram, train and bus schemes in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Tyne and Wear.
It includes £2.4 billion to extend the West Midlands Metro, £2.1 billion to kickstart West Yorkshire’s long-delayed mass transit system, and £2.5 billion for new tram lines in Greater Manchester.
Senior figures in Downing Street believe Labour must show it can deliver visible improvements to voters’ lives to reverse the trend.
Reeves said the country "cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the UK," warning that underinvestment in regional transport was holding Britain back.
Andy Burnham, the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester welcomed the Government giving £2.5 billion to his area which will be used to help deliver the "first fully-integrated, all-electric, zero emission public transport system".
He said that "good transport powers good growth" and Greater Manchester was now closing the "north/south divide" in terms of economic growth.
"The levelling up that was once promised is now happening here," he said.
West Yorkshire has been promised £2.1 billion to begin work on its long-delayed mass transit system by 2028
PA
West Yorkshire has been promised £2.1 billion to begin work on its long-delayed mass transit system by 2028, alongside new bus stations in Bradford and Wakefield.
Six more metro mayoral regions will benefit:
- South Yorkshire: £1.5 billion to renew the tram network and upgrade bus services across Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham by 2027
- Liverpool City Region: £1.6 billion for faster links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Everton’s stadium and Anfield, plus a new bus fleet in St Helens and Wirral
- North East: £1.8 billion to extend the Metro from Newcastle to Sunderland via Washington
- West of England: £800 million for rail upgrades, more frequent trains between Brabazon and central Bristol, and work on a wider mass transit link connecting Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset
- Tees Valley: £1 billion, including £60 million to expand platform capacity at Middlesbrough station
- East Midlands: £2 billion to improve road, rail and bus connectivity between Derby and Nottingham
The move comes with Reeves under pressure from Labour MPs to unlock spending amid anger over potential cuts to disability benefits.
GETTYThe move comes with Reeves under pressure from Labour MPs to unlock spending amid anger over potential cuts to disability benefits.
The Chancellor is seeking to reassure both voters and markets that public investment can still proceed within her fiscal rules.
In her speech, Reeves is expected to say Britain cannot "rely on a few places forging ahead while others fall behind," and that infrastructure investment is key to closing the regional divide.
After making a speech in Rochdale, the Chancellor told reporters: "The previous Government made a lot of commitments. What they didn’t do is put the money in to be able to deliver them.
"That is the big difference about what we are doing.
"On Wednesday next week I will be setting out in a spending review where you can see every pound allocated, investment for three years for day-to-day spending, investment for five years for capital spending.
Further transport spending announcements will be made at the spending review she said
GBNEWS"We will then be publishing a 10-year national infrastructure plan. That is a world away.
"You can make all the promises you like but if the money is not there, then they are not real."
Further transport spending announcements will be made at the spending review she said, as well as commitments on energy, digital infrastructure and housing.
More From GB News
Most Read
