The North of England would have received £140bn in transport investment during the Conservatives’ 14 years in power if funding levels had been matched to that spent in London, a new report has said.
Analysis from independent think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) examined Treasury figures between 2009/10 and 2022/23, which spanned successive Tory governments, and found a shortfall that could have funded seven Elizabeth Lines.
The think-tank reached the £140bn total by considering the amount of spending per person across the different English regions over the same period.
In England as a whole, £592 per person was invested in transport each year. London received almost double that amount at £1,183 spent per person, the IPPR said.
The North of England, however, only had £486 spent per person, with the North East receiving £430, the North West receiving £540, and Yorkshire and Humber receiving £441 per person.
This amounted to £140bn of missed investment for the North – more than the estimated £83bn spent on the region since 1999/2000, according to the analysis.
The Midlands fared even worse, receiving just £455 per person, with the East Midlands receiving the lowest amount of investment of any region, with £355 spent per person.
Rachel Reeves, ahead of the spending review on Wednesday, committed £15.6bn towards transport projects in cities outside London that have long suffered from underinvestment.
“A Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country,” the Chancellor said at a speech in Rochdale last week.
She said the previous focus on prioritising public infrastructure investment in areas that would deliver the most reliable financial returns, such as London, had created large gaps between regions.
Most of the £15.6bn was already earmarked by the previous Conservative government after the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham, a project has faced delays and a ballooning budget.
The funding to expected to be used to extend metros in Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, along with a renewed tram network in South Yorkshire and a new mass transit system in West Yorkshire.
Reflecting on the analysis, Marcus Johns, senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: “Today’s figures are concrete proof that promises made to the North over the last decade were hollow. It was a decade of deceit.
“We are 124 years on from the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, yet the North is still running on infrastructure built during her reign – while our transport chasm widens.
“They should continue on this journey to close this investment gap in the upcoming spending review and decades ahead.”
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said: “This report lays bare the way in which successive Conservative governments have short-changed areas outside of London and the South-East, denying millions of people access to jobs, education and opportunity.
“This Labour Government is investing in Britain’s renewal and making everyday journeys easier in the places you live.”
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