The Mayor of the East Midlands has issued the following statement today following the announcement by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that some road and energy capital projects will “no longer go ahead as planned” to fund the Defence Investment Plan.
Mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward said: “The proposal to remove investment from two road schemes in the East Midlands – the A46 and A38 – is completely unacceptable to me.
“I was informed of this decision as the Prime Minister was delivering his speech on the Defence Investment Plan. If mayors and their regions are to be seen as respected partners of government, we need to be treated like grown-ups and involved in trade-offs that affect our regions.
“The trade-offs here are ones I understand. I understand that increasing investment in defence means removing it from other things. I understand that everywhere will need to contribute so that we can be safe in a less certain world. What I cannot understand is why the only region being asked to lose £900 million of investment in its roads is the East Midlands – that is not equitable and fails to recognise the decades of underinvestment that have preceded today’s decision.
“The East Midlands will play its part in delivering a safer world – we have strengths in defence and will be investing in those alongside the government. But people working in defence need good roads so that they can get to work, access their supply chains, and trade. We will not serve our defence sector well if we underinvest in its enabling infrastructure.
“The Government must seek contributions from regions other than ours and from spending areas other than roads. This is what I am asking ministers for today.”
