The former Mayor of Middlesbrough has blasted the Labour Government after the unveiling of a major transport project across the North without a timeline or a budget for the scheme beyond 2029.
The Government has revealed plans to build a new railway line linking Birmingham and Manchester after the Tories axed plans to extend HS2 between the major cities back in 2023.
The Prime Minister vowed his Cabinet was “rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people” – despite the exclusion of a detailed timeline and budget.
The plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail came with a long-awaited confirmation of a new route between Liverpool and Manchester.
The project includes a number of phases, starting off with a laser-focus on transport links between Leeds, York, Bradford and Sheffield.
The second stage is the Manchester-Liverpool line, before a third phase will link Manchester and Yorkshire cities.
But former Mayor of Middlesbrough Andy Preston told GB News he has doubts on the project’s fruition altogether.
Asked if he welcomes the announcement, he simply retorted: “Nobody cares.
Andy Preston ripped into Labour on GB News
|
GETTY/GB NEWS
“I think that this was expected to excite everyone in the North, wasn’t it? But when you talk about long term rail infrastructure, everyone switches off and thinks of the HS2 debacle.
“And I think Andrew just said then about 2030 construction, if that happens, deliver in the 40s. They’re talking about some of them being delivered in the 40s already, which means the 50s.
“Of course, the projected budgets are going to spiral.
“There’s every chance that this never happens, so it’s no wonder the public’s not interested and that the ID card U-turn is dominating the news.
LATEST ON BRITAIN’S TRANSPORT:
Plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail have finally been unveiled | GETTY
“So I’m afraid to say the news from all my contacts in the North and my networks is that nobody really cares, because it’ll probably never happen.”
GB News’s Andrew Pierce also cast doubt on the project, asking: “When the hell will this ever be built?
“In the 2040s? I will be long gone. I think it’s fair to say.”
Joking alongside the presenter, co-host Miriam Cates quipped: “Well, we’ll be riding the train in your memory.”
Labour’s £45billion upgrade of railways across northern England is the Government’s latest attempt to boost growth across the region.
Links will be improved across Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, York and Bradford.
On Tuesday, Rachel Reeves said these “transformative plans will create jobs, build homes and unlock opportunities for businesses to invest”.
The newest link is between the two major cities, replacing the cancelled link of HS2.
Construction work in Yorkshire is expected to commence ahead of the 2029 election, while the project will persist into the 2040s.
Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, encouraged businesses to be “wary”, telling The Telegraph: “With no current end date for the project or set timelines on delivery, it is vital that [the] Government fills in the blanks as soon as practicable.”