Northern England will no longer be 'held to ransom' by poor transport systems, says Starmer
27 March 2025, 22:32
Northern England will no longer be "held to ransom" by poor transport systems, Sir Keir Starmer said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The Prime Minister claimed the Government will create better links between urban areas with a "downpayment for growth".
Downing Street announced £415 million of funding to improve struggling rail services between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
Electrification of the line between Manchester and York through the multibillion-pound TransPennine Route Upgrade has been long-delayed.
No 10 also said local leaders will be handed more than £1 billion to boost transport services.
This is alongside an additional £270 million to improve buses and £330 million for road maintenance.
Read more: Rachel Reeves is missing a £12 billion opportunity to save lives and grow the economy
Sir Keir will visit a factory in the North on Friday to urge local leaders to speed up delivery of projects such as a mass transit system in West Yorkshire, a new railway station in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle area, and the redevelopment of Bury Interchange.
He said: "The North is home to a wealth of talent and ingenuity.
"But for too long, it has been held to ransom by a Victorian-era transport system which has stifled its potential. "I lived in Leeds for years, I get that this has real-world impacts - missed appointments, children late to school, work meetings rescheduled - all leading to insecurity and instability for working people.
"My Government won't stand by and watch.
"We are rolling up our sleeves, and today's down payment for growth is a vote of confidence in the North's world-beating industries.
"The film studios in Bradford, life sciences in Liverpool, the fintech industry in Leeds - it is time they had a government on their side to get the North motoring again.
"After years of false promises and under-delivery, this Government is delivering real change for the North.
"We are spending double as much on local transport in the North than the South."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said reliable and affordable public transport links are "essential for kickstarting economic growth and putting more money in people's pockets".
She added: "The transport system outside of London and the South East has been plagued by delays and cancellations, frustrated by strikes and failing infrastructure because upgrades that were promised were never delivered."
The Conservatives have accused the Government of "re-announcing projects the previous Conservative government had planned".
Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon said: "While we are glad that they are going to take forward the plans we conceived, Labour's recklessly ideological rail reforms will give the trade unions the power to hold the North to ransom, condemning passengers to chaos, confusion, and cancellations."
