Labour accused of breaking Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal with Northern Powerhouse Rail
Labour has been accused of breaking the Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal, after the Humber city was written out of plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled the Government’s £45bn proposal to connect up cities on both sides of the Pennines on Wednesday, with upgrades between Leeds, Sheffield and York and a new line connecting Leeds and Manchester.
This had a three-phased approach with work mapped out into the 2040s, however it did not include plans to electrify routes between Hull and Leeds and Sheffield.
NPR was initially envisioned as a high-speed that would run from coast to coast, connecting the Humber to the Mersey.
However, the Government has changed the model to a lower speed “turn up and go” railway, which it says is more feasible and cost effective in the wake of HS2.
Instead bi-modal NPR trains will run on electric tracks to Leeds and Sheffield and then switch to diesel to go to Hull and the East Riding.
Currently, it takes an hour to get from Hull to Leeds and almost two to go to Manchester. It is thought electrification would cut the latter journey by 23 minutes.
Ms Reeves insisted east Yorkshire would still get the benefits with NPR services going on to Hull on “existing infrastructure … with better trains, better reliability and better frequency”.
Hull City Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Coun Mike Ross has accused the Chancellor of breaking the devolution deal, which was signed in September 2024 to create a mayor for the region.
The signed document says: “The Government will bring Hull into Northern Powerhouse Rail, electrifying and improving the line speed between Hull to Leeds and Hull to Sheffield.”
Coun Ross said: “Let’s be clear here, the Labour Government have gone back on their side of the deal and it is deeply disappointing.
“As council leader I worked with others to get this commitment in writing. I’m committed to fighting for it.
“But the government has made it clear they’re not holding up their side of the deal and as a result have let us down.”
As the devolution deal is not a legally binding document, it is understood there is no recourse to legal challenge.
Yesterday, the council unanimously supported a motion calling on the Government to add Hull to NPR.
In a joint statement, Hull’s three Labour MPs Dame Diana Johnson, Emma Hardy and Karl Turner said they would continue to make the case “for better connectivity for Hull and the Humber”.
The trio said: “We still believe that there is a strong economic case for upgrading the rail link from the Humber ports on the east coast across the Pennines to the port City of Liverpool – working as necessary to leverage in private investment where public funding is insufficient to fully realise the vision of the Northern Growth Corridor and the Government’s aspiration for economic growth.
"The Humber Green Energy Estuary, so central to achieving net zero, must surely not be an area that relies indefinitely on ‘bi-modal’ trains and we note that the Hull and East Yorkshire Devolution Deal committed to electrifying and improving the line speed between Hull to Leeds and Hull to Sheffield.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver new rail services that are faster, more frequent and more reliable for millions of people.
“This week’s announcement does not exclude other rail projects through other funding sources and the electrification of the lines to Hull remains under consideration.
“While the whole of the north will benefit from better journeys east to west, our plans for NPR commit to regular onward services to Hull and we will work closely with local politicians to consider improvements to this route.”
Hull and East Yorkshire’s Reform UK Mayor Luke Campbell said his region had not got “its fair share, yet again”.
“The people of this region deserve transport investment that delivers real change.
“Our region has been asking for rail electrification for decades, and I’ve been making the case to the government since being elected.
“I’ll be writing to the Chancellor to push for rail improvements that reflect our region’s economic role and ambition.”
When this was put to Ms Reeves by The Yorkshire Post, who said: “Reform are against Northern Powerhouse Rail. Reform doesn't want Northern Powerhouse Rail to go anywhere, including to Hull.”
She said Mr Campbell and Nigel Farage’s party need to be clear as to whether they would scrap or keep NPR.
A Reform spokesperson said the party has always supported more East to West services, however said Labour’s NPR plan is “poor value for money and needs an urgent rethink."