Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's former chief advisor, has said he battled Treasury officials to get the A1 dualled in Northumberland, but his plans were dropped after he left Downing Street in 2020. He made the comments at a public lecture at Newcastle University titled "What's Gone Wrong with British Politics and What To Do?"
Cummings criticises Westminster establishment
Speaking for more than twice the time he originally planned, Cummings outlined various things he thinks have gone wrong with the Westminster establishment. He was highly critical of current and past politicians, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
He told the audience that "in this room alone, we could muster a better Cabinet than the whole of Parliament can," and said the British state was too centralised.
Devolution and the A1 campaign
Cummings, who cut his political teeth with a successful campaign against plans for a North East Assembly in 2004, said he was a supporter of devolution "in theory". He claimed that after the 2019 election, he told the Treasury the A1 would be dual carriaged, but officials dismissed the plan. He said the scheme was crossed off the list after he left.
His comments echo the testimony of former Berwick MP Anne Marie Trevelyan, who claimed civil servants "hated" the proposed scheme and frustrated attempts to get the project done. Trevelyan served as the area's MP from 2015 until 2024, with dualling the road a key point of her election campaigns.
Government U-turn and safety concerns
The previous Conservative Government planned to dual part of the road but didn't start the work, only to say the plan was going ahead shortly before the 2024 General Election. The current Labour Government cancelled the plans shortly after coming to power, saying costs had risen to £500m and the scheme wasn't good value for money.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has softened the Government's line on the scheme, saying he is sympathetic to safety calls. The Journal and The Chronicle this year revived their long-running campaign for the road to be dualled in Northumberland to improve safety. Eight people have been killed on the road this year alone, including 22-year-old university graduate Erin Bennett in an accident at the weekend.
