Tories need 'geography lessons' after Network North vow includes South funding

14 February 2024 , 17:17

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Rishi Sunak vowed to invest in northern transport links after he cancelled the HS2's Birmingham-Manchester leg at Tory Party Conference (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Tory ministers were told they need geography lessons after the Government's "Network North" transport pledge included funding for rail links in the South.

Rishi Sunak vowed to invest £36billion in northern transport links after he cancelled the HS2's Birmingham-Manchester leg. But a document released in October on the "Network North" scheme outlines plans for rail, not only in the North and the Midlands, but also in London and in areas as far south as Devon.

As peers in the House of Lords pointed out the non-northern commitments in the document, former Labour Cabinet minister Baroness Taylor of Bolton asked pointedly: "Will the minister arrange for himself and his colleagues to have geography lessons?" Transport minister Lord Davies of Gower hit back: "I happen to have an O-level in it."

The session saw Labour peer Lord Grocott ask: "This document, Network North, is supposed to compensate the Midlands and the North for the scrapping of HS2 north of Birmingham by providing lots of other rail schemes and more quickly... How can a document called Network North include, amongst its proposals, the promise of a new station in Tavistock?"

Labour peer Lord Liddle and Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Randerson tackled the Government on its £8.3billion investment to fix potholes in roads across the country. Lady Randerson argued that a third of this sum, which is to be divided amongst local authorities across Britain, is actually going to councils in the south of England. Lord Liddle pointed out that money was going to be spent "across the country, including such great northern counties as Wiltshire" and that "of 70 road schemes, only 31 that were given the go ahead were actually in the North and the Midlands".

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Lord Davies, responding on behalf of the Government, told peers: "Every penny of the £19.8billion committed to the northern leg of HS2 will be reinvested in the North. Every penny of the £9.6billion committed to the Midlands leg will be reinvested in the Midlands. And the £6.5billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston will be spread across every other region in the country." He cited key northern rail improvements such as lines between Manchester and Sheffield, Leeds and Sheffield, Leeds and Hull, and Hull and Sheffield.

It comes after the Conservative Party was ruthlessly mocked after boasting of a multimillion-pound investment in London road improvements as part of its "Network North" scheme in December. The Department for Transport (DfT) said the road improvements were "only possible due to £8.3billion of extra investment" available from the decision to kill off the northern leg of HS2 but northern mayors hit out at the announcement.

At the time Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “'Network North' seems to include everywhere - except the North." West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: "I know the North isn’t a priority for this govt but seriously…???" The Mayor of Liverpool City Regions Steve Rotheram added simply: "Make it make sense".

Sophie Huskisson