North’s rail betrayal and deviousness of Ministers – Tom Richmond

He was in the midst of carrying out a devious sleight of political hand while scrapping the eastern leg of HS2 and downgrading Northern Powerhouse Rail – the much-promised high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester.

As he was speaking, Transport for the North – the body tasked with developing rail improvements here – was receiving a letter from Whitehall setting out how its powers and funding were being reduced.

Not only was Shapps too cowardly to mention this directly in the Commons – but he didn’t even put his name to the letter in question.

This matters because it is another blatant power grab by Boris Johnson’s London Government that totally contradicts its levelling up and devolution promises – the hypocrisy is that blatant.

But it is also contemptuous of Parliament because it is the latest example of Cabinet ministers circumventing MPs to avoid scrutiny – a dereliction of duty, democracy and decency raised very persuasively by Dame Diana Johnson MP, MP for Hull North, raised a point of order with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the clearly exasperated Speaker.

And, if such a well-respected Speaker is powerless to act over such matters, it’s up to senior MPs to work together to help Sir Lindsay overhaul the rules while Yorkshire’s backbenchers, as I ventured earlier this week, get their collective act together and force a vote on the non-integrated rail strategy.

Are they in favour or not? We have a right to know.

For, while I’ve long held doubts about TfN’s effectiveness, I have more confidence in the quango than Cambridge history graduate and former BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan who is the PM’s transport adviser and appears to have been instrumental in cobbling together a rail plan that reflects his long-held personal opposition to HS2.

And when Tory grandees as loyal as Patrick McLoughlin, an ex-Transport Secretary, break ranks in the House of Lords, and point out how HS2 was all about increasing capacity on the network, it is clear that the Government is on the wrong track. The question is if sufficient politicians have the statecraft to hold devious ministers to account.

I’VE finally caught up with The Secret Life of Special Advisers, Peter Cardwell’s book about the role of SPADs in the daily running of government.

As much as I admire their commitment, I was rather taken aback by the scale of their influence – such as having just 30 minutes to effectively write a new strategy about rough sleepers.

But what was perturbing was Cardwell’s surly response when he was asked to approve an official tweet from the late James Brokenshire, the then Housing Secretary, congratulating Dan Jarvis on being elected as Sheffield City Region’s mayor in 2018.

Condemning the “civil service thought process”, he says he told his team at the time: “It may have escaped officials’ attention but James Brokenshire is a Conservative and Dan Jarvis is a member of the Labour party.

“James and I were knocking doors last weekend persuading people to vote for Conservative candidates. So as the Cabinet responsible for local government, James is probably not going to be sending a tweet congratulating a Labour mayor.”

If this pettiness is emblematic of the approach of SPADs – and it is regrettable that Brokenshire is no longer alive to offer his perspective – it is little wonder that One Yorkshire devolution was not taken seriously at this time by the London Government.

At least Cardwell was ultimately given the boot – clearly one of the better decisions taken when the PM and Dominic Cummings were still in cahoots.

THE Cardwell book does disclose Boris Johnson’s cowardice on the eve of his election as Tory leader. Relations between his campaign chair Iain Duncan Smith, a former party leader, and candidate had disintegrated.

Duncan Smith wanted a strategy meeting – and Johnson ignored his calls and texts until IDS announced that he was en route to the campaign HQ.

“Boris quickly ordered his entire team to race up to the first floor of the house and, well, hide from their alleged campaign chairman as he rapped on the door of the building, demanding to be let in,” wrote Cardwell. “It was a farcical scene, orchestrated by the man who would be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom just hours later.”

IDS gave up – but is a vignette, even now, that is damning of Johnson’s character.

NEARLY two in three households at risk of flooding don’t believe it will happen to them, new analysis revealed by the Environment Agency disclosed. Unfortunately those still in denial include Environment Secretary George Eustice who has still to convene the Yorkshire-wide flood prevention summit that he promised in February 2019. He might have forgotten. This newspaper has not.

AT least this country has one leader of genuine compassion who inspires the nation with his deeds. Step forward (Sir) Kevin Sinfield after raising well over £1.5m by running 101 miles from Leicester to Leeds in aid of MND, the incurable disease being fought with such humility by his best friend Rob Burrow.

Sinfield is a campaigner with the class of Marcus Rashford and others. What a shame they’re not more individuals of their stature at the House of Clowns – sorry, Parliament – after Boris Johnson’s ‘peppa pig’ speech to the CBI.

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