Tories mocked after boasting of £235million Network North street plan – in London

The Tories have been mocked after boasting of a multimillion-pound funding in London street enhancements as a part of its “Network North” scheme.

Northern Mayors hit again after the Department for Transport (DfT) introduced £235million has been dedicated to bettering roads within the capital. The division’s social media publish got here alongside the “Network North” emblem within the nook. The DfT mentioned the street enhancements had been “only possible due to £8.3billion of extra investment” obtainable from the choice to kill off the northern leg of HS2.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham mentioned: “’Network North’ appears to incorporate in all places – besides the North.” West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “I do know the North isn’t a precedence for this govt however critically…???” The Mayor of Liverpool City Regions Steve Rotheram added simply: “Make it make sense”.

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh mentioned “Whilst passengers are facing Christmas chaos on overcrowded, delayed and cancelled trains, it is an extra kick in the teeth that this Government is crowing about cancelling the biggest rail infrastructure investment in the north in a generation. When Rishi Sunak went to Manchester to cancel the northern leg of HS2 he claimed he would ‘join up our great towns and cities in the North and the Midlands’.

“Now he is promising to repair roads in London as part of a ‘Network North’, showing just how ludicrously out of touch he is. And this won’t even come close to repairing the damage Rishi Sunak has done to our roads: In the three years since he became Chancellor he has been personally responsible for 22 million potholes going unfilled across the country.”

Meanwhile Labour MP Dame Angela Eagle quoted the graphic on social media and mentioned: “Apparently the foundations of geography & the compass have now been suspended by this publish fact publish actuality Government.” Labour MP Diana Johnson said: “‘Levelling up’ the North by transferring cancelled Northern HS2 funding to… London. They’re having fun – on the North’s expense.” Lib Dem MP Tim Farron added: “Great to see the agricultural northern village of London lastly getting the levelling up funding it deserves…”

It comes just months after Rishi Sunak was accused of betraying northern cities over the controversial decision to axe the northern leg of the HS2 project. The PM – speaking at the Tory conference in Manchester – announced he was scrapping the high speed rail line from Birmingham to the North and instead vowed to reinvest the £36billion into other transport projects in the North and the Midlands under a rebranded Network North. The move led to widespread criticism from northern leaders, including Mr Burnham who fumed that northerners were being treated like “second-class residents”.

At the time the ex-PM David Cameron – now Foreign Secretary – additionally hit out on the transfer, branding it the “flawed resolution” and evidence the country was “heading within the flawed path”. In a brutal swipe at the government he now serves in, Lord Cameron said: “I remorse this resolution and in years to come back I think many will look again at right this moment’s announcement and marvel how this once-in-a-generation alternative was misplaced.” Boris Johnson – one other former Tory PM – added in an article on the time: “If we delay or lower the northern legs, if we truncate HS2 — then we’re betraying the north of the nation and the entire agenda of levelling up.”

Unveiling Network North in October, which included plans for money to upgrade roads in southern England, the PM said he was scrapping HS2 for the new scheme Network North to deliver to areas across the country. In a foreword to the document, Mr Sunak said: “Outside London, our nice cities and our smaller cities aren’t reaching their potential as a result of their transport networks are so poor…. Outside London, many depend on vehicles, but our native roads are congested and poorly maintained.” He also complained that HS2 was set to benefit London and said he was scrapping it for the new scheme Network North to deliver to areas across the country.