Tories in transport pledge to the North

Mar 17 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

THE Conservative party has set up a Northern transport study and will use the findings to underpin any future Tory Government policy.

Better connections to London, a dualled A1 and a high speed rail route are to feature in the study and the final report will be worked into the Conservative manifesto.

The groundbreaking study will be led by shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague, who said the review was an important way of ensuring the Conservatives become a party for “all the UK not just the South and the Midlands”.

Mr Hague told more than 1,500 party delegates at the Gateshead spring forum: “We are establishing a special policy commission to inform the work of the next Conservative Government, with the task of reviewing the transport needs and links of the north of England and making recommendations on the priorities for the future.

“When it comes to the needs of our northern regions, we are going to be not only highly organised as a party, but highly prepared to deliver as a government.”

The announcement came as part of a renewed bid by the Conservatives to win seats in the North East.

The party are aiming for seats across the region but are particularly keen to retake seats in Darlington and Tynemouth and to oust Liberal Democrat MP Alan Beith in Berwick.

Mr Hague told delegates: “In the next General Election the people in the North of England will find their strongest advocates here in the Conservative party.

“And I believe, too, that our Northern revival will be part of the great national triumph of our party.”

Despite Mr Hague’s bold claims the party still has a lot more to do, as is obvious in Newcastle and Gateshead where the Tories have not had a councillor since the mid-1990s. But potential MPs have insisted that what they lack in elected members they make up for in ambition.

Prospective parliamentary candidate Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who will be fighting the Berwick seat in the next General Election, is one of those hoping to change the party’s North East standing. Mrs Trevelyan said: “Our hopes and ambitions in the North East matter as much as the rest of the country.

“But despite the region’s 28 Labour MPs, six cabinet ministers and a prime minister the voice of the North East has not been heard.” Mrs Trevelyan called for a “fair distribution of our national resources” to help solve the region’s transport problems.

“I am of no doubt that the people of the North East need a 21st Century transport system. We must give our region this boost to prove to the private sector that the North East is a place to invest. The A1 situation has left our economy, like our road traffic, idling along at half speed.”