North East Labour MPs have called on their own Government to reconsider its decision to scrap the dualling of the A1 following a series of recent tragedies. North Northumberland MP David Smith, leading an adjournment debate on the road's safety record, expressed hope that “this might be the Government who will fix this road once and for all.”
MP Highlights Safety and Economic Concerns
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Smith referenced Chronicle and Journal coverage of the A1’s appalling safety record. He noted that he receives daily messages from constituents urging the dualling of the A1, which would bring both safety and economic benefits to the North East. Mr Smith is among several MPs supporting a new Chronicle and Journal campaign to dual the A1, which has united political, business, and community leaders after six recent deaths on the road. A petition launched alongside the campaign has secured nearly 1,500 signatures.
Mr Smith emphasized that improving the A1’s safety is “a matter of huge importance, not just to my constituency but to the whole of the North East of England.” He described the road as “a bit of a totem for the frustrations of my Northern constituents,” who feel that Government investment consistently goes to other parts of the country.
Decades-Long Saga and North-South Divide
Outlining various safety issues, Mr Smith stated: “There is no silver bullet for those problems, but dualling would certainly fix some of them. In the North East and Northumberland, when we mention the A1, the first thing people think about is the dualling of the road. It is a saga that, in many ways, has been going on for over 50 years.” He called for “everything being on the table for the A1,” including ongoing condition improvements, major junction upgrades, and dualling the entire road.
He contrasted the A1’s neglect with major projects elsewhere: “When the £11bn lower Thames crossing gets the nod ahead of the A1, and when the London to Birmingham High Speed 2 line costs as much as the GDP of Belarus, my constituents might be inclined to suspect that, just occasionally, there is a North-South divide.” While welcoming Northern Powerhouse Rail and the TransPennine route upgrade, he argued that “if we are serious about devolution and unlocking regional economies, the A1 is the place to start.”
Cross-Party Support but Government Cites Affordability
Mr Smith was backed by fellow North East Labour MPs Joe Morris (Hexham) and Mary Glindon (Newcastle East and Wallsend), as well as Conservative MP John Lamont from the Scottish Borders. However, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, who grew up in the North East and now represents a West Yorkshire constituency, maintained the Government’s position that the scheme is unaffordable.
Lightwood acknowledged the “strength of feeling locally about the safety of the A1” and the “tragic fatalities on the route,” offering condolences to affected families. He recognized the A1 as “one of the country’s most important strategic roads,” linking the north-east of England with Scotland and supporting economic activity, tourism, and connectivity. He noted the “disappointment that many constituents felt following the Government’s decision not to proceed with the A1 Morpeth and Ellingham dualling scheme,” which he attributed to inheriting “unfunded capital commitments from the previous Government.”
Lightwood said the Government is committed to improving safety through smaller schemes but cannot commit to dualling, citing a “comparatively weak value-for-money proposition when assessed against competing investment priorities.”
Petition and Campaign Continue
The petition calling on the Government to reconsider funding for dualling the A1 is available at www.change.org/p/re-examine-the-case-for-dualling-the-a1-in-northumberland.
