Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called on the Government to be “more ambitious” for the North East.
Mr Davey attacked Labour’s record since coming into power last year, since when ministers have come under fire for controversial decisions such as scrapping the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland, cutting transport funding earmarked for County Durham by £50 million, and withholding money for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge. Labour’s Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has also faced recent accusations of southern bias in her economic growth plans.
Mr Davey, who has become known for his colourful campaign stunts, was in the region to take a spin on the attractions at Durham’s Diggerland theme park on Friday morning. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after being strapped into the stomach-churning Spindizzy, the Lib Dem leader said: “I think the record of Labour in their first year has been really disappointing.
“People voted for change , they voted for a better economy, and I’m afraid they have just not delivered. Part of the challenge is that we need to take the jobs tax off small and medium sized enterprises – that rise in employers’ National Insurance in the Budget has been a real disaster for small businesses who are trying to get going again, it has just pushed them back.
“The first thing we would do is get rid of that job tax. But then we have to look further afield and be more ambitious. You have some great manufacturing firms here in the North East and they depend on international trade. With the tariffs threatened by President Trump and put on the metal industry, that is really going to affect trade.
“We need a really, really ambitious growth strategy. The Liberal Democrats have said let’s break down the trade barriers with our European neighbours that have cost businesses so much in the way of trade, that would be a real big growth strategy and help a region like the North East massively.”
Mr Davey added that there was “no doubt we need some big, long-term infrastructure projects” to boost productivity in the North of England. The former coalition government minister said: “That is in transport, for sure, the Northern Powerhouse Rail links would be really important, and it is also in energy.
“One thing you see across the North East is the potential for the low carbon economy to really grow. You are already seeing that and we need to get behind it even more because there is potential for huge jobs.”
The Kingston and Surbiton MP’s trip to Diggerland, which he said was to highlight how the tourism industry is worth more than £1 billion to County Durham, comes ahead of a fascinating set of local elections in May for which Mr Davey thinks the Lib Dems “have momentum behind ourselves”.
(Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)
Durham County Council’s coalition administration is currently led by Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood, who joined Mr Davey alongside other local councillors on Friday, and the party is hoping to make gains both there and in Northumberland. It will also have high expectations in Newcastle, a council which was Lib Dem-controlled between 2004 and 2011, when its next set of elections come around in May 2026.
Coun Hopgood told the LDRS that she expected a backlash against Labour at the polls this May, following moves like the Government’s cuts to winter fuel payments. Discussing the recent reduction in her county’s funding allocation from the Department for Transport from £73 million announced under Rishi Sunak last year to just £23 million, she added: “I am really disappointed that £50 million was cut from us, and we have the letter saying that it was here for us as part of the CRSTS (City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement} money. And if you look further north, the A1 dualling. Northumberland is the only county in this country that does not have a motorway running through it and it is the link between the North East and Scotland.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “This Labour government was elected on the promise of change, to deliver a decade of national renewal through five missions, each reflecting the priorities of working people.
“Higher living standards; 1.5 million homes built; hospital backlogs ended; police back on the streets in every community; a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn; and secure, home-grown energy. This Plan for Change will only be delivered with the strong foundations of economic stability, national security, and border security.”
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/lib-dem-leader-ed-davey-31203954
