A1 dualling: Government says it can be trusted despite delays

The roads minister insists the government can be trusted to deliver on its promise to upgrade the A1 in Northumberland despite decades of delays.

A 13-mile (20km) stretch is set to receive funding reallocated from the scrapped northern leg of the HS2 rail project.

A decision on the scheme had been delayed four times in recent years.

Richard Holden said the availability of the HS2 money was "key".

The project was among many announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he confirmed the cancellation of high-speed rail between Manchester and Birmingham, vowing to instead spread £36bn across the North of England and the Midlands.

Mr Holden said: "That £36bn, which had already been earmarked for those projects, can now be used for other schemes.

"In the past, it has always been 'is this going to be part of the Spending Review, is this going to be part of the RIS upgrade programme, or the next Network Rail settlement?'

"This money has already been earmarked for transport funding, so transferring it across is a much simpler situation."

However, Northumberland councillor Isabel Hunter, a long-term campaigner for A1 improvements, said on Wednesday she "won't believe it until the spades are in the ground and the diggers are on site".

The government has already been accused of "misleading" people over plans to reopen plans to reopen the Leamside railway line in the North East.

Confirmation of its restoration was removed from the government's website within hours, with Mr Holden later telling the BBC's Question Time the ultimate decision on whether the scheme goes ahead would be made by the region's first elected mayor in May next year.

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