Infrastructure is still our top priority, says transport secretary

The government remains fully committed to its infrastructure plans, despite the economic uncertainty following the UK’s vote to leave the EU, the transport secretary of state Patrick McLoughlin, said today.

Speaking at the National Infrastructure Forum event at London’s ExCel centre on 28 June 2016, McLoughlin made a robust defence of the government’s transport plans. Following last week’s Brexit vote the country and the economy “faces a period of readjustment but we do so from a position of strength,” said MacLoughlin, as he reassured his audience that infrastructure remained a key priority for government and crucial plank of its policy going forward. 

“HS2 will rebalance the economy, connecting the north to the south, the project is on track and real progress is being made on the Northern Powerhouse,” McLoughlin said. “We are delivering the largest spend on the roads for a generation and revitalising the railways on a scale not seen since the Victorian era. Investment in long term infrastructure is needed. It is more important not less important than ever before,” he said. 

Referring to the current economic uncertainty following the EU vote and the difficult decisions that have to be made, McLoughlin made a parallel with a transport dilemma that faced the government when it came to office at the start of the previous parliament. “We were faced with a recommendation to scrap Crossrail in favour of paying down the debt. Thank goodness we did not do that and Crossrail is now seen as a textbook example of good infrastructure,” he said.

He also said that the government would not hide away from making difficult decisions. “Big infrastructure projects are always controversial, but usually when we build them people say ‘you should have done that a long time ago’. So, infrastructure investment will continue,” he said. 

McLoughlin conceded that there were some big decisions to be made in the coming months. “There are important questions ahead, especially as far as aviation is concerned. We remain committed to the proposals in the Davies report,” he said but refused to confirm, when asked, exactly when the decision on a new runway for the south east would be made. 

Confidence in the economy and in business was critical going forward, McLoughlin said. “As we make the decisions we need to make it is vital that the UK is seen to be open for business. Our infrastructure is fit for the future, the economy is strong and government and business will pull together for the common good as they always have. We will continue to do so over the coming years,” he said.