Why Jeremy Hunt must commit to electrifying Midland Mainline and decent rail links between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham

The new Government must not drop a promise of electrifying the Midland Mainline and commit to improving east-west rail links across the Midlands.

That is the call from campaigners who are urging Jeremy Hunt not to take his eye of a string of big projects that could cut congestion and CO2 emissions and bring vital business into the region. The new Chancellor will reveal his economic plan on November 17.

Transport for the East Midlands, which brings together nine councils across the region, and Midlands Connect – a division of the Midlands Engine – have drawn up a wish list of eight schemes they say help prop up the regional economy as the country faces one of the toughest economic periods ever.

They claim the region has missed out on billions of investment under both Labour and Tory governments since the turn of the century – which has seen transport spending drop from around 80 per cent of the UK average per person in 2001/2 to around 65 per cent today.

Their list include funding the on-then-off-the-on-again plans to electrify the Midland Mainline north of Market Harborough.

After pausing the plans in 2015, then cancelling them in 2017, the Government’s 2021 Integrated Rail Plan re-committed to electrify the line up to Leic