STORY
Ministers and MPs have raised concerns that transport projects are being cancelled or delayed to help fund the Government’s defence investment plans. The row has focused on road schemes including the A46 Newark bypass, with local figures arguing that the East Midlands is being asked to carry a disproportionate share of the burden.
The Government said defence investment was essential in the current security environment. Critics argued that the funding approach risked setting national defence commitments against local infrastructure schemes which had been promised or expected for years.
The dispute has increased pressure on ministers to explain the full funding settlement behind the defence plan. It also gives opposition parties an opportunity to argue that Labour’s national security commitments are coming at the cost of economic growth and regional transport improvements.