Osborne promises cash for region's transport

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post in his first major newspaper interview since the General Election campaign started, Mr Osborne said the region's infrastructure had been neglected for years. He promised that when cutting back to reduce the national deficit, the axe would not fall on transport spending.

And in a pledge to motorists – who were hit by record petrol prices yesterday – he promised reform for the fuel tax system that would not leave domestic prices at the mercy of the global oil industry.

He said: "I would certainly invest in the transport links in Yorkshire.

"I believe that modern transport links are part of a modern economy and very important for the economic geography of Britain. We have surely, after the last 13 years, done with the experiment of hitching our economy on the back of the city of London.

"We need Yorkshire and other parts of the country away from the South-East to do well."

Mr Osborne reaffirmed his party's commitment to high- speed rail and pledged to introduce a "fair fuel stabiliser", as petrol prices hit record levels.

The RAC said the average price of a litre of petrol at the pumps is now 120p, eclipsing the previous peak of 119.7p reached in July 2008. It is only days since the Government raised fuel duty by 1p a litre.