A bridge too farce
SNP minister says PM’s vanity project could take cash from public services
BUILDING a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland could mean less public spending on schools or hospitals, an SNP minister has claimed.
Holyrood transport secretary Michael Matheson told the Record a “fixed link” between Portpatrick and Larne could end up costing more than £33billion due to its complexity.
The MSP described the concept as a “vanity project” being used by the UK Government to divert attention away from crossborder issues in Northern Ireland caused by Brexit.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has talked up the idea of building a bridge or tunnel across the North Channel, a 23-mile stretch of water.
Tory ministers last year commissioned the chairman of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendy, to come up with ideas to improve connections between the four home nations.
And due to the physical separation of Northern Ireland to the mainland, the most ambitious proposal being considered is a fixed link to Scotland.
With Hendy’s report expected soon, Matheson spoke out against the project in a damning assessment of its merits – and predicted it would not happen in Johnson’s lifetime. The Scottish Government has refused to engage with the connectivity review as transport is a devolved issue.
Matheson said: “It’s not a priority for the Scottish Government and it’s not a priority for the Northern Irish Executive. Nichola Mallon, the Northern Irish infrastructure minister, has made that very clear.
“The reason why it’s not a priority is it runs the risk of drawing financial resource away from other critical elements of infrastructure – such as schools, health housing, and other transport priorities – all because the UK Government has set themselves on this course of wanting to invest in a tunnel or a bridge to Northern Ireland.”
Asked if it was realistic to build a fixed link, Matheson said: “Even if something is feasible, it doesn’t mean you should do it.
“I suspect the complexities and the challenges associated with some form of fixed link are such that it probably won’t happen in my lifetime. And I suspect it won’t happen in Boris Johnson’s lifetime.
“This is nothing more than a vanity project from Boris Johnson. It’s a way for him to try and hide from the fact he’s got various problems in Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit, which is causing significant disruption on crossborder trade between mainland UK and Northern Ireland.”
He added: “What we may get is the UK Government throwing some money at a feasibility study to give the impression this is happening. But in my view, the likelihood of a fixed link to Northern Ireland happening in the near future is very, very remote.
“We’ve not carried out assessment work on this because we think it’s fanciful and it’s not going to happen. But I have seen suggestions in the media it could be as much as £33billion.”
A UK Government spokesman said: “The connectivity review will look at how we can develop our vital transport links so we can improve the lives of people across the UK as well as helping our economic recovery from the pandemic.
“People in Scotland expect the UK Government and devolved administration to be working together to ensure our economy bounces back and we would urge the Scottish Government to do just that.”