Politics

Victoria Derbyshire asks MP: ‘Why are you betraying the north?’

Victoria Derbyshire clashed with the MP for Penistone and Stockbridge on BBC News yesterday after the government scaled back its plans for rail investment in the north.

Boris Johnson was accused of a “betrayal” after the Government set out its new plans for rail investment in the region.

There was anger in the Commons as transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that the eastern leg of HS2 was being scrapped while the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) was being curtailed.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson had “ripped up” promises he made that HS2 would go all the way to Leeds and that there would be a new NPR line from Manchester to Leeds.

“This was the first test of ‘levelling up’ and the Government has completely failed and let down everybody in the North. You can’t believe a word the Prime Minister says,” he said.

Putting the upheaval to Miriam Cates, Derbyshire asked “why are you betraying the north” in a scathing interview.

Watch the clip in full below:

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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Tags: BBC News