In a shocking move, the Conservative Transport Minister Chris Grayling has cancelled a range of high profile transport investment projects in the North. Pledges in the 2015 manifesto promised a significant boost to the Northern economy, by electrifying and improving key transport links. Electrification of rail lines was set to begin between Leeds & Manchester, Windermere and Oxenholme, Cardiff and Swansea, and to Kettering/Sheffield/Nottingham.

Rail line electrification allows for faster and more reliable journeys, especially important in areas like the North East. The North in the UK suffers poor connectivity due to an estimated £59 billion chronic underinvestment, underinvestment that has hampered economic growth, and living standards for residents in the region. The lack of investment in the North has become so severe that an NHS study shows that those living in deprived Northern areas live 8-years-less than their Southern counterparts.

The failure of this government to pump serious financial…