‘Andy is completely committed to this city and this region’
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander at Oxford Road train station after signing, committing government to Northern Powerhouse Rail.(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has praised Andy Burnham’s “commitment” to the north amid renewed speculation over his potential return to Parliament. Ms Alexander said she believed the Greater Manchester mayor was “completely committed to the city and the region”, adding she has “enjoyed” working with him on Government plans to improve rail services in the north.
Her comments come as Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne announced he would be stepping down from his seat on health grounds. The announcement comes nearly a year after he was named in the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp scandal, prompting his suspension from the Labour Party.
The announcement means a by-election will be held for the seat, and has refuelled speculation that this could pave the way for Andy Burnham’s Westminster return and a potential leadership bid against prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Speaking in Manchester today (Thursday, January 22), Ms Alexander labelled the situation a “sad” one for both the Gorton and Denton MP and for his constituents.
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander at Oxford Road train station after signing, committing government to Northern Powerhouse Rail.(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
When asked about the possibility of Mr Burnham returning to Westminster as a result of the resignation, she added: “Andy’s done a brilliant job as mayor of Greater Manchester. I’ve really enjoyed working with him so closely on the plans that we’ve announced in the last week for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
“I know that Andy is completely committed to this city and this region, and those are decisions […] for Andy.”
The transport secretary was in Manchester to sign a formal agreement with Mr Burnham regarding Government proposals to boost rail services in the north. For Manchester, this would mean a new Liverpool-Manchester line.
The plan for the Liverpool-Manchester route promises to cut journey times between the North West’s two biggest cities to as little as 35 minutes and increase the number and frequency of trains. It could also see a new underground station built at Manchester Piccadilly.
Mr Burnham has previously said the plans could turn Piccadilly Station into the ‘King’s Cross of the North’. Greater Manchester’s mayor was also expected to speak to Press as part of today’s event, but pulled out at the last minute.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the change was connected to the report breaking of Mr Gwynne’s potential resignation. Mr Burnham had told the LDRS earlier in the day that he was “in the dark” over the situation, however, and said people should not “jump to conclusions”.
Ms Alexander said: “We believe that Northerners have had to put up with a second rate rail system for far too long, and we want a ‘turn-up-and-go railway’. No more faffing around with looking at the timetable before you go to the station.
“No more worrying if you miss your train, that you’re going to have to wait for an hour for the next one. We think that people in the north of England, in the northwest of England, deserve a service that people in London and the southeast of England get.
“So that’s why we’re putting that historic investment, £45 billion over the longer term, £1b pounds in the next four years to dramatically improve the rail services that people in this part of the country deserve and rely upon.”
The underground station is not a given, however. Ms Alexander said the Government is committed to carrying out “further testing” on the viability of the project “with urgency” . This would involve “interrogating the costs” to ensure the scheme would be “value for money”.
The transport secretary also addressed the possibility of improving connections between Birmingham and Manchester. She said there was “ambition” to deliver this, but work on east-to-west services was “the priority”.
She added: “We think that is what can unlock real economic growth and productivity improvements in the north of England. We know as the Labour Government that, when the North of England succeeds, the whole country succeeds, and our plans for improving rail infrastructure are absolutely critical to that.”