UK will fix key roads ‘neglected’ by the SNP

‘They won’t just send the diggers in’

THREE key roads which have been ‘neglected’ by the SNP will be fixed by the UK Government, Boris Johnson has declared.

The Prime Minister yesterday condemned the SNP for failing to upgrade the A75, A77 and the A1.

It is understood all three roads will be highlighted as ‘strategic transport corridors’ which should be upgraded in a new Union Connectivity Review, due to be published tomorrow. But the Scottish Government yesterday told UK ministers they have ‘no role’ in deciding investment in Scotland’s trunk roads.

The review has been carried out by Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy to recommend a series of projects which would improve UK transport links.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said it will seek to ‘ensure that the people of Scotland are served with the connections they need’, which the SNP has ‘totally failed to put in’.

It is understood the A75 and A77 will be highlighted as being part of a ‘strategic transport corridor’ that links Manchester and Belfast via the Cairnryan ferry.

The A75 in Wigtownshire carries nearly half of Northern Ireland’s trade and is seen as a crucial transport link.

The A1, which links Edinburgh and London, has never been fully dualled.

The Scottish Government has refused to engage with Sir Peter’s review and turned down the offer of up to £20million to carry out a feasibility study.

The review is expected to promise investment then try to work with the Scottish Government to ensure work can take place, with sources insisting it will not just ‘send the diggers in’.

But a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Transport is devolved to Holyrood, and the UK Government should respect that. If UK Ministers want to play a helpful role, then they could simply deliver the funding needed for such infrastructure investment.’