Sir Keir Starmer's support 'pivotal' for success of West Yorkshire tram project, mayor says

The included £415m towards the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will cut journey times from Leeds to Manchester to 42 minutes.

The package also reiterated the Prime Minister’s support for the proposed tram system connecting Leeds and Bradford.

“What people want, what they're entitled to, is a transport system that actually matches their ambition so they can get around,” Sir Keir told The Yorkshire Post.

The Prime Minister, whose train to the visit was delayed, said he thought nowhere else in the UK had such an unreliable transport network serving millions of people.

"If that was anywhere else in the country, I can’t help thinking the transport would be better than it is – and we need to make sure we change that,” he added.

Sir Keir said that the next steps with the £1.7bn of funding would be to work on the priorities of the North’s metro mayors, like Ms Brabin.

“Decisions about transport in Yorkshire are best made by people in Yorkshire and their representatives, which is why we're working with the mayor so closely,” he said.

“It shouldn't be for someone in London to determine precisely what money is spent on.”

Ms Brabin said she was “delighted” that the Prime Minister had come to West Yorkshire, underlining his commitment to unlocking the North.

She said Sir Keir’s support for the mass transit system is “absolutely pivotal” to the project.

“As you saw in Birmingham when HS2 was discussed and committed to, investment poured into Birmingham,” she explained.

“This is about confidence and I’ve committed to spades in the ground on mass transit by 2028.

“We’ve got £200m which is going to get us to that point. That commitment from government, when we’re going to need a big chunk of money to move to the next phase, is really welcome.”

Ms Brabin has just finished a consultation on the proposed routes from Bradford to Leeds, and south to the White Rose Centre.

The next stage will be for West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to put together a business case for the next round of Government funding.

It comes as Leeds is rapidly growing as a fintech and financial services hub, while Bradford’s TV and film studios are flourishing.

Ms Brabin believes that the commitment around mass transit will only drive more investment.

"When I was elected mayor four years ago all businesses were saying transport is holding us back,” she explained.

"Now businesses know they are getting certainty, and for the next four years we’re focused on trams.”

Since 2022, the Financial Services Authority has increased its staff in the city from one to 300, while the Bank of England is set to increase its headcount to 500 by 2027.

Australian property sales innovators Pexa, which is pledging to transform house buying in the UK, chose Leeds for its UK base.