I was delighted to have the opportunity to bring forward a debate this week to highlight the significance and importance of improving transport links between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
My constituency sits in the very south of Scotland, right next to England. It’s one of the reasons why I was such a passionate campaigner for remaining in the Union in the 2014 independence referendum and why I continue to firmly believe in Scotland’s place within the UK.
In the Scottish Borders, many of my constituents have family just a few miles away in England. Most have friends just over the border. People often head to England for days out and to socialise. Some travel south every day to work, others come north to do the same. Others regularly go south for medical treatment, especially since the SNP wrecked Scotland’s NHS.
Our lives are interconnected and so our transport network must also be appropriately connected. People’s everyday lives depend on good, safe, reliable and affordable transport across the Borders and down into England.
We must improve railway and road connections between Scotland and the rest of the UK. There are huge challenges to doing so, but the opportunities are far greater.
The top priority should be extending the Borders Railway, which has been a great success story since it was restored.
For many years, I’ve been working hard with local campaigners to see the Borders Railway extended to Hawick, Newcastleton and onto Carlisle.
I’ve been doing everything I can to keep making the positive case for the extension because I believe it would be a game-changer for our local area.
The Borders Railway extension could unlock economic potential, create thousands of jobs and transform the local rail network.
I will work constructively with the Scottish Government where possible and I intend to have open dialogue with the new Labour government on what we can achieve together.
This does not need to be a party political issue. It can be something where we work together in the interests of not only the Borders, but the south of Scotland and north of England too.
Unfortunately, it appears the Labour government simply does not grasp the importance of extending the Borders Railway.
I have not been encouraged by the early signs from the new government regarding the Borders Railway. After writing to seek assurances about Labour’s commitment to the project, I received a response from the Minister of State for Rail, Lord Peter Hendy. He said Labour will “review” previous transport commitments and “assess” this proposal.
Neither do they appear to grasp the need to invest to improve essential roads. The dualling of the A1 has also been scrapped, and there are no signs of progress on upgrades to the A7 or A76.
These appear to be just another way the Labour government has let down the people of Scotland and Britain.
Railways, roads and other transport routes between Scotland and England are vital to maintain and enhance the connections between our people, to allow families to visit each other and to go on holidays across the UK, to help aspirational business owners to engage with customers and clients in other parts of the country, and to allow people to easily work and socialise wherever they live in Scotland or the rest of the UK.
Beyond the direct and immediate impact on people, better transport routes will improve our economy. It will raise productivity and help to contribute more tax revenues to improve public services. At a time when we desperately need to raise levels of economic growth, investing in infrastructure is an ideal way to do that.
But not only that, better transport routes would also help to protect our environment. It would help us to reach net zero faster by encouraging more people to use public transport and by reducing emissions.
There are a whole host of benefits that could be achieved by improving transport links across our United Kingdom.
That is what we should aspire to. A more connected country where people can travel freely between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom for work, to visit family, and to spend time with friends wherever they are on these islands.
Labour failing to grasp the benefits of improving rail and road connections between Scotland and England
