𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Today brings yet another salvo in Labour’s ongoing war on motorists, crippling the country and punishing drivers the country over. We now know that dozens of road schemes have been shamefully cut, which will directly impact local communities, hold back growth and stop Britons from getting moving and working again.

The A31 improvements. Cancelled. The Blythe Relief Road. Cancelled. The A127 Growth Corridor. Cancelled. Alongside almost two dozen more. Labour are literally cancelling growth. This comes hot on the heels of Labour’s disgraceful gutting of the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which I helped launch as a Minister back. It was provided continuity and certainty, and ensured we had a pipeline of projects. Labour have hacked it back because they won’t cut welfare. So now we have no security, no confidence and no continuity in our construction businesses because road schemes are being cut across the country.

On top of that we now face new legislation in Parliament. A devious Bill that will be a back door to road charging across the country. It is a disgrace.

And at the very moment motorists are feeling the squeeze, with petrol and diesel prices going through the roof, and surging airport drop-off charges, – which I have called on the Secretary of State to review urgently – Labour are also planning to increase fuel duty by five pence a litre.

That will impact every business, every shop, every supermarket and every buyer. It will hit every haulier and every haulage company, many of whom are already struggling to stay afloat, with more going bust month after month. And the costs will be passed through to customers.

When will Labour ever understand that the way to grow the economy is not to cut investment in our roads? It is to get them built, get Britain moving again and get our economy growing.

All of this comes at a time when the Government is ploughing its money and resources into its ideological project of nationalising our railways, with more cancellations, more delays, more delays to repairs and more short-formed trains, leaving passengers unable to get a seat. Rather than helping passengers, in reality, this ideological obsession is driving up costs, heaping the burden onto taxpayers and leaving passengers worse off.

Labour need to stop working for their unions and start working for the British people. For far too long, we have allowed this nonsense to continue. This Government is being run for its union paymasters, rather than for the benefit of the British people.

Only the Conservative Party will tackle Britain’s soaring infrastructure costs. Only the Conservative Party will stop ideology running our railways and put passengers first. Only the Conservative Party will stop these costly cuts to road and rail schemes, deliver the improvements, back British drivers and get Britain moving again.