Reform reveals plans to scrap Northern Powerhouse Rail if it wins next election
Reform has said it would scrap Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) if it wins the next election, in favour of smaller projects.
It cites a new report by the centre right-wing think-tank Policy Exchange, which has claimed the NPR investment – which has not yet been committed to by the Government – would actually add time to some journeys.
But supporters say Northern Powerhouse Rail would free up huge amounts of capacity across the North, providing a valuable vehicle for investment after decades of infrastructure decay.
Further, they warn northern voters to beware of “vague promises” from Reform on rail upgrades.
NPR is not a single building programme such as, for instance HS2, but rather a package of measures to upgrade existing lines as well as build some new ones.
Its architects aim to make rail in the North more integrated, increasing capacity and reducing journey times by creating what they say will be the region’s single biggest transport investment since the Industrial Revolution.
But Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice, inset, has now come out strongly in opposition to the programme of upgrades.
He said: “We all know the phrase that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.
“All of us, it seems, except the Government.
“Even as the historic disaster of HS2 blows through more billions in overspending, Ministers are about to commit to further high-speed rail schemes which could make HS2’s problems and price-tag look trivial.
“To anyone tempted to bid [for the new schemes], I give this warning: do not bother.
“A Reform government will spend the money instead on things the country needs more.”
Henri Murison is the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, which itself is strongly criticised in the report as being “substantially a lobbying operation for high-speed rail”.
Mr Murison said: “Reform’s plan to scrap billions of pounds of transport funding from the North of England will hold back jobs, investment and productivity.
“Our economy is losing billions every year because cities like Liverpool across to Bradford and Leeds and beyond as well as to Sheffield are not properly linked, including preventing those from Yorkshire easily connecting globally through Manchester Airport.
“The Chancellor is on the brink of putting forward a plan to build a modern, reliable rail network that Northern businesses and communities have been calling for.
“For Reform to propose scrapping this network before it’s even been properly set out shows how irresponsible they are.
“They clearly expect they have northern voters in the bag, but the economic harm they would impose will worry those who care about their children and grandchildren’s future.”
Responding to Mr Tice’s comments, Naomi Smith, the chief executive of left-wing Best for Britain, which aims to “fix the problems Britain faces after Brexit”, said: “The question here is not if the North needs more investment in rail, because it patently does, it is whether Northern voters can trust Reform UK’s vague promises that they will replace this investment once they axe an existing scheme.
“These are the same people who told us Brexit would boost the economy and we all know how that turned out.”
Reform’s deputy leader Mr Tice added: “Outside a bubble of politicians, journalists and construction industry lobbyists, the voters of the North do not want, and never have wanted, a handful of high-speed rail lines, serving a handful of big cities, at fares only business people on expenses can afford.”