Key facts
- Transport infrastructure projects are being cut or delayed to fund a £15bn increase in UK defence spending.
- The A46 Newark bypass-widening scheme is among the affected projects.
- Ministers and MPs have expressed strong disapproval of these cuts.
- The East Midlands region is reportedly bearing a disproportionate share of the road project funding cuts.
- Overall defence spending is set to rise from 2.6% to 2.7% of GDP by 2030.
Ministers and MPs have expressed significant anger and disappointment over the decision to cut or delay key transport infrastructure projects, including the A46 Newark bypass-widening scheme, to fund a £15bn increase in defence spending. The defence investment plan aims to raise spending from 2.6% of GDP to 2.7% by 2030, with a trajectory towards 3% in the next parliament.
Middle East minister Hamish Falconer, MP for Lincoln, stated his disappointment regarding the uncertainty surrounding the A46 upgrade, calling it strategically important and well-advanced. He plans to seek a meeting with the incoming prime minister, chancellor, and transport secretary to discuss the decision. Robert Jenrick, the Reform MP for Newark, described himself as 'furious' that the project was thrown into disarray and vowed that a Reform UK government would build the road if Labour fails to do so.
East Midlands mayor Claire Ward expressed her frustration at being informed of the cuts so late, stating that the region was being unfairly targeted for losing £900m in road investment. She argued that such decisions should involve mayors as partners and that the trade-offs should be equitable, especially given decades of underinvestment in the region. The plan, costing £298bn over four years, includes significant funding for new nuclear submarines and drones.
A defence insider described the £4.7bn funding gap left for the incoming prime minister as 'madness', while Conservatives labelled the plan a 'delayed-action poison pill' for Labour.