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The other MPs are Brendan Clarke-Smith, Darren Henry, Tom Randall, Heather Wheeler, Pauline Latham, Maggie Throup and Nigel Mills.<\/p>\n
They have warned against the risk of stumbling \u201cinto a two-track process\u201d which favours areas which have mayors already, and urged the PM to ensure that funding for East Midlands projects is \u201cgiven the green light in the forthcoming autumn budget\u201d.<\/p>\n
They also cautioned against a focus on areas with mayors \u201cat the expense of our smaller cities, towns and villages\u201d, referencing the fact that the East Midlands doesn\u2019t have a mayor until May 2024:<\/p>\n
They said: \u201cAs MPs representing the East Midlands, we have a duty to ensure our constituents are not sidelined simply because they do not yet have a mayor or a combined authority to lobby government on their behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MPs drew attention to the fact that between 2009\/10 and 2019\/20 London enjoyed transport spending equivalent to \u00a3864 per person, more than double the national average of \u00a3430, saying that \u201cit\u2019s vital that we redress this imbalance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n The MPs added that \u201cthere is a huge dividend waiting to be unlocked in regions outside London, both economically and politically\u201d which would \u201cunlock a surge in productivity, create local employment and training prospects for young people, provide greater mobility and opportunity for the elderly, and allow our party to deliver on the promises we made in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been some concern that while Mr Sunak announced the money would go to the north and midlands, Transport Secretary Mark Harper was in the south west this week saying they would get a share.<\/p>\n With the election coming up next year and the Tories 20 points behind in the polls MPs are pushing to ensure that one of the key promises in 2019 to level up at least gets underway as they fight to hold on to their seats.<\/p>\n In his conference speech, Mr Sunak pledged that “every single penny” of the \u00a336billion released by cancelling the Midlands to Manchester leg of HS2 would be spent on “hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, and across the country”.<\/p>\n
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