The value of Tory pledges on transport have taken a tumble after Justine Greening, Shadow Minister for London, said there could be no guarantees about their commitments. Their manifesto says: “We support Crossrail and the electrification of the Great Western line to South Wales.” So both would be safe under a Conservative government? Well, no.
Ms Greening, in an interview on LBC, specifically refused to guarantee support for Crossrail, the £16 billion project to link east and west London by rail.
“In which case, why is it included in the Tory manifesto?” asked ASLEF general secretary Keith Norman. “The Tories usually wait until after an election before breaking their promises. But this puts a big question mark over Conservative commitments.”
Tessa Jowell, Labour’s Minister for London, said: “While Labour is absolutely committed to Crossrail and the new north-south high-speed rail network, the Tories have failed to give any guarantees over these vital projects which will deliver thousands of new jobs and investment.”
