The Yorkshire Post says: We make no apology for holding Chris Grayling to account over Northern transport

For, if he travels by rail, as he should, he will realise that services here do not compare favourably with his Surrey constituency, a likely beneficiary of Crossrail 2, and that the antiquated state of the trans-Pennine link stems from decades of under-investment by successive governments.

It’s why the Minister, an advocate for the expansion of Crossrail in London, caused political apoplexy nationally when he wrote a controversial column for these pages last month where he challenged this region to sort out its own transport difficulties and appeared to abdicate his own responsibilities.

The Yorkshire Post makes no apology for holding Mr Grayling to account after he scrapped the electrification of the Sheffield to London route, and much delayed improvements to the Leeds to Manchester line, in the immediate aftermath of an election campaign in which he told commuters here: “We made promises and we endeavour to keep our promises.”

Yet this newspaper is not a lone voice. In Thursday's edition, Harriet Cross, the British Consul General in Boston who is leading a trade delegation to these parts from New England, says better rail links across the Pennines would be an “added incentive” to American firms looking to invest here.She’s not alone. Henri Murison, the director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, says university graduates unable to find a job here are more likely to pursue opportunities in London, rather than commute across the Pennines, because existing rail services take too long and cannot handle commuters in sufficient numbers.

Finally, proud Yorkshireman Andy Cook – head of the Centre for Social Justice think-tank founded by Mr Grayling’s colleague Iain Duncan Smith – says business productivity in the North, crucial as Britain prepares to leave the EU, won’t improve unless there’s a more equitable distribution of infrastructure funds that remain heavily skewed in London’s favour.

Given this is supposedly a One Nation government working for all, it’s even more galling that the North’s great cities continue to be denied the transport links, and standard of service, now taken for granted in London and the South East. A clear commitment to prioritise a high-speed line from Hull to Liverpool would help to allay public anger.

Welcome to Yorkshire, Mr Grayling.

The North is in the driving seat on transport future - a column by Chris Grayling

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