McDonald hits out at “scandalous” spending gap

Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald has criticised the historical disparity in spending on transport between the north and south of England.

According to think tank IPPR North, Londoners enjoyed an annual average of £708 of transport spending per person from 2007-17, while just £289 was spent for each person in the North.

McDonald said a Labour government would do more to close this gap than the current administration, as part of his party’s plans to build a ‘Crossrail for the North’, create a £500 billion National Investment Bank, and bring all railway operations and decision-making back into public ownership.

He said: “I want to pay tribute to the leadership of TfN and the work it has done. Every part of Labour shares your vision for an integrated and reliable transport system across the north of England, and I hope we have a Labour government to help you deliver it.

“Labour will prioritise northern connectivity in a (national) investment programme in infrastructure, which stands in stark contrast with what we’re seeing from Whitehall. The gulf in spending between the North and South is a scandalous case in point.

“Labour’s national structure will align more closely with devolved authorities, and Labour’s plan will also give devolved transport authorities a major say in the flow of finance into transport in their area.

“We need to move away from the silo system of planning, and TfN has an obvious opportunity to lead the way on this. Rail has had a torrid 12 months and urgently needs reform, and Labour wants a railway of rising patronage, rising investment and an economy which plays a role in supporting that.”