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PM says public transport system in north of England is stifling potential
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Huddersfield railway station. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
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Starmer promises to fix north of England’s ‘Victorian-era’ rail and bus system
Good morning. Keir Starmer is today promising to improve the north of England’s “Victorian-era” public transport system. Anyone reliant on trains and buses north of Watford will know exactly what he is talking about, and will probably welcome Starmer’s intent – while also thinking they have heard this all before from central government, and wondering quite what’s new.
Starmer is on a visit near Huddersfield this morning and he is using it to announce what No 10 is describing as “a major transport package to improve the lives of people across the north of England”. It is worth at least £1.7bn, but the projects are not new, and Starmer is promoting a collection of measures already in the pipeline. The Conservatives claim he is talking about a series of initatives first announced when they were in office.
But what is striking is the language Starmer is using; he is admitting the transport experience for many northerners is dire.
In a statement released overnight he says:
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 downpayment for growth is a vote of confidence in the north’s world-beating industries …
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, all done hand-in-hand with our mayors and local leaders.
And Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, says:
For too long, the north has been left behind and relied on a crumbling transport system that’s not fit to serve the great towns and cities it’s home to.
The government’s Plan for Change will end that and schemes like the TransPennine route upgrade will bolster the region’s neglected potential and make travelling between these historic northern towns and cities quicker, easier and greener.
Summing up what is being announced, Downing Street says:
The prime minister will today set out plans to make the Liverpool-Hull corridor an economic superpower – rivalling the Oxford-Cambridge arc – kickstarted with £1.7bn this year …
This comes on top of funding announced today:
-For the key rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, which has been plagued by disruptions and delays for years without a plan to fix it. The route will now be supported with £415m in funding from government to restore its failing services.
-For local leaders to unleash their areas’ untapped potential with over £1bn for the north to improve the transport services people use every day – backing regional mayors and ensuring decisions about the north sit with those who call it home. This comes alongside £270m investment in bus services and £330m in road maintenance across the north.
Starmer is due to be taking questions on this (and many other things, hopefully) from workers and journalists at a Q&A at a factory later.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: MPs debate private members’ bills, starting with Clive Lewis’s water bill.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit near Huddersfield, where he is due to hold a Q&A.
In the evening Reform UK are holding a big rally in Birmingham, but the blog may have closed before that gets going.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line (comment will be open from 10am today) or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
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Starmer’s communications chief to quit after nine months
Keir Starmer’s director of communications, Matthew Doyle, is standing down from his role after nine months in No 10, Pippa Crerar reports.
Tories dismiss Starmer's transport plan for north of England as rehash of ideas they announced first
The Conservatives have dismissed the government’s north of England transport announcement (see 9.13am) as a rehash of plans they came up with first. This is from Gareth Bacon, the shadow transport secretary.
Keir Starmer is right that Labour mayors have neglected public transport in the north, but simply re-announcing projects the previous Conservative government had planned, set aside funding for, and announced is hardly a major step forward.
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.
On top of that, Labour’s decision to scrap vital road upgrades and axe the £2 bus fare cap will only worsen connectivity across the north. Under new leadership, the Conservatives will present practical solutions to improve transport links.
Starmer promises to fix north of England’s ‘Victorian-era’ rail and bus system
Good morning. Keir Starmer is today promising to improve the north of England’s “Victorian-era” public transport system. Anyone reliant on trains and buses north of Watford will know exactly what he is talking about, and will probably welcome Starmer’s intent – while also thinking they have heard this all before from central government, and wondering quite what’s new.
Starmer is on a visit near Huddersfield this morning and he is using it to announce what No 10 is describing as “a major transport package to improve the lives of people across the north of England”. It is worth at least £1.7bn, but the projects are not new, and Starmer is promoting a collection of measures already in the pipeline. The Conservatives claim he is talking about a series of initatives first announced when they were in office.
But what is striking is the language Starmer is using; he is admitting the transport experience for many northerners is dire.
In a statement released overnight he says:
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 downpayment for growth is a vote of confidence in the north’s world-beating industries …
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, all done hand-in-hand with our mayors and local leaders.
And Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, says:
For too long, the north has been left behind and relied on a crumbling transport system that’s not fit to serve the great towns and cities it’s home to.
The government’s Plan for Change will end that and schemes like the TransPennine route upgrade will bolster the region’s neglected potential and make travelling between these historic northern towns and cities quicker, easier and greener.
Summing up what is being announced, Downing Street says:
The prime minister will today set out plans to make the Liverpool-Hull corridor an economic superpower – rivalling the Oxford-Cambridge arc – kickstarted with £1.7bn this year …
This comes on top of funding announced today:
-For the key rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, which has been plagued by disruptions and delays for years without a plan to fix it. The route will now be supported with £415m in funding from government to restore its failing services.
-For local leaders to unleash their areas’ untapped potential with over £1bn for the north to improve the transport services people use every day – backing regional mayors and ensuring decisions about the north sit with those who call it home. This comes alongside £270m investment in bus services and £330m in road maintenance across the north.
Starmer is due to be taking questions on this (and many other things, hopefully) from workers and journalists at a Q&A at a factory later.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: MPs debate private members’ bills, starting with Clive Lewis’s water bill.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit near Huddersfield, where he is due to hold a Q&A.
In the evening Reform UK are holding a big rally in Birmingham, but the blog may have closed before that gets going.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line (comment will be open from 10am today) or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
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