Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Jones Excerpts

Wednesday 9th December 2020 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Mr Speaker, you should summon him back—he seems to have vanished.

While the right hon. and learned Gentleman tries to work out what his position is, we are getting on with the work of government. As he says, it is a year since this people’s Government were elected and I am very proud that we are delivering on the people’s priorities: 6,000 of the 20,000 police officers; 14,800 of the 50,000 nurses already; and we are getting on with building every one of the 40 hospitals—it is about 48 hospitals—that we are going to deliver, along with the biggest programme of infrastructure investment in this country for a century. We are uniting and levelling up across the whole of the UK. Whether the outcome is Canada or Australia, we will be taking back control—we have already taken back control—of our money, our borders and our laws and we will seize all the opportunities that Brexit brings.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

Today is the 60th anniversary of “Coronation Street”, the world’s longest running TV drama series. This is an amazing landmark, so congratulations to it. Sometimes it feels as if we have been discussing infrastructure in the north almost as long. However, we have had the Oakervee report, which recommended that the Government committed to HS2 and its full y-shaped network serving both sides of the Pennines. We have had the positive decision to proceed with it. As the plans for the eastern leg of HS2, phase 2b, are developed, will my right hon. Friend consider starting construction from the north? That would be good for jobs in the north and for connectivity with the east midlands, all of which, of course, drive my right hon. Friend’s levelling-up agenda.

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is a big expert in this field and a great campaigner for transport. He is right about the massive impact that these programmes can have on jobs. [Interruption.]