‘The biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades’ — or the biggest, boldest marginal constituency programme? George Osborne has magicked up £15 billion for 84 new roads, some 100 overall improvements, totalling 1,300 miles of new lanes across the country.
Unsurprisingly for an overtly political chancellor like Osborne, a majority of these roads will benefit marginal constituencies. The Telegraph has figured out all of the MPs who will benefit from the road spending and has calculated as many of 2/3 of the proposed improvements will help marginal constituencies. These are the most marginal Tory seats who will benefit from George’s marvellous marginal medicine:
A34: Nicola Blackwood
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£50 million pounds of improvements to the A34 in Oxfordshire will benefit the Conservative MP Nicola Blackwood in Oxford West and Abingdon. She won her seat from Liberal Democrat Evan Harris at the last election with a 0.3 per cent majority. Conservative MPs Richard Benyon in Newbury and Ed Vaizey in Wantage will also benefit from the improvements to the A34 but both have 20 percent+ majorities.
M6 Junction 10: David Winnick
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Labour’s David Winnick managed to hold onto his Walsall North seat at the last election with a significantly reduced majority of 2.7 per cent. The Conservatives will push hard to take this marginal seat and the M6 improvements will be welcomed by their candidate Douglas Hansen-Luke.
A303: David Heath
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Somerton and Frome is a Tory-Lib Dem marginal, won by David Heath with a 3 per cent majority in 2010, battling off Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Jacob. The dulling of the A303 between Sparkford – Ilchester duelling is a coalitious improvement for new candidates: David Rendel (for the Lib Dems) and David Warburton (Conservative). David Laws in Yeovil will also benefit.
M25 Junction 25: Nick de Bois
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Enfield North is a Labour-Tory marginal and incumbent Conservative Nick de Bois will be concerned about holding on to the seat. In 2010, he took the seat from Labour with a 3.8 per cent majority. Conservative Charles Walker in Broxbourne will also benefit from the M25 improvements, but he has a 41 percent majority.
A12: Ben Gummer
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Conservative Ben Gummer faces a battle to hold onto his seat — the Tories took this seat from Labour in 2010 with a 4.4 per cent majority. The technology upgrade across the A12 will benefit Gummer.
M49: Charlotte Leslie
Last year’s Spectator Backbencher of the Year is fighting to keep her Bristol North West seat she won with 6.5 percent majority from Labour. This seat is a three way marginal and Leslie will hope improvements to the Avonmouth Junction will fight off the Labour threat. Jack Lopresti in Filton and Bradley Stoke will also benefit.
A1: Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Your author’s favourite upgrade, the stretch of A1 from Morpeth to Ellingham and north of Ellingham, must surely help the Union by allowing drivers to reach Scotland without suffering from road rage.
The Tories have high hopes of taking Berwick, given the retirement of long-time incumbent MP Alan Beith — his majority was down to 7.7 percent at the last election. Expect Tory Anne-Marie Trevelyan to make much of these road improvements. But Beith’s successor for the Lib Dems will also try to argue that it was Danny Alexander who secured this improvement.
Labour’s Ian Lavery in Wansbeck will also improve but he has a comfortable 18 percent majority. Labour’s Catherine McKinnell in Newcastle upon Tyne North (7.8 per cent majority) will also benefit from the A1 widening between Scotswood and North Brunton.
A628: Angela Smith
Penistone and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire is a Labour/Tory marginal, where the Labour candidate Angela Smith won with a 6.6 per cent majority in 2010. The A628 will become a ‘smart motorway’, which will help the Conservative candidate
A64: Julian Sturdy
York Outer is a Tory-Lib Dem marginal, won by Julian Study in 2010 with 6.9 per cent. Improvements to the Hopgrove Junction will aid his re-election, as well as that of Ben Wallace in Wyre and Preston North.
M271/A35: Caroline Nokes
Another coalicious battle between the Lib Dems and Tories, the Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North Caroline Nokes will benefit from roundabout upgrades at the Redbridge roundabout.
A12 and A21: Simon Burns
Former Health and Transport minister Simon Burns’ seat in the East of England was a Lib Dem marginal was 9.4 per cent marginal in 2010. The A12/M25 to Chelmsford upgrade will help Burns’ re-election.
A47 and A12: Brandon Lewis
The Minister for Housing Brandon Lewis managed to win his Great Yarmouth seat from Labour’s Tony Wright with a 9.9 percent majority. Labour will be fighting to take the seat back next year so Lewis has junction enhancements on the A47 and A12 to help with his re-election.
Some of the non-marginal Tories to benefit from the roads programme include: George Osborne (Tatton), Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge), Boris Johnson (Uxbridge and South Ruislip), Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield), Andrew Lansley (standing down in South Cambridgeshire) and Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield).
Labour’s Tristram Hunt (Stoke-on-Trent Central), Ed Miliband (Doncaster North), , Mike Wood (Batley and Spen), Ed Balls, (Morley and Outwood), Yvette Cooper (Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) will also benefit as well as the Lib Dems’ Julian Huppert (Cambridge), Jeremy Browne (standing down in Tauton Deane), Mike Thornton (Eastleigh) and John Glen (Salisbury).
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