Transport plans may have faced Labour axe

A series of schemes are facing an uncertain future until the Government reveals how badly hit by cuts the transport budget will be.

Plans to introduce trolley buses in Leeds, build a new south entrance to Leeds railway station and a new station south of the city to allow a major development at Kirkstall Forge to go ahead are all on hold until after the Comprehensive Spending Review.

But yesterday Mr Khan admitted some of the schemes – which had been planned for the next few years – may never have gone ahead or would have been delayed even if Labour had won the General Election.

"Of course there would have been cuts under a Labour Government," said Mr Khan in his conference speech. "Some schemes would have had to be postponed or even scrapped.

"I can't stand here and tell you that every local transport project would have been funded."

Mr Khan ran Ed Miliband's successful campaign for the leadership and is expected to be rewarded with a senior job if elected to the Shadow Cabinet.

Labour MPs have been fighting hard for transport schemes to go ahead but Mr Khan's admission echoes Mr Miliband's message in his conference speech that the party must accept some tough decisions and not oppose every planned coalition cut.

But he said Labour would not fall into the "trap of short-termism, making cuts now which would still be holding our country back in 20 years time".

"We would not reduce transport policy to economy, but always remember that it is essential to fairness that people in all parts of our society can afford to get to where they need to be," he said.