Levelling-up Fund Round 2

Gavin Newlands Excerpts

Thursday 19th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Frazer]

As I mentioned, the criteria will be published in due course. Forty-five per cent. of the funding has been allocated to Opposition areas.

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

Further to your point at the start of proceedings, Mr Speaker, I am led to believe that Conservative list MSPs were also told well before the MPs who sponsored the project applications.

Some of the most deprived areas of the country are in my constituency, which also missed out on its green freeport bid, which went to the much wealthier east. The fraudulently titled levelling-up fund is meant to replace EU funding previously allocated to deprived areas. How is it possible that areas of multiple deprivation missed out while the Prime Minister’s constituency, one of the wealthiest in the UK, nabbed £19 million, and while £45 million went to help fix the mess of the roads in Dover caused by the Government’s kamikaze Brexit? Is the Minister not utterly ashamed at some of these announcements? If not, why not?

[Lucy Frazer]

Well, I hope the hon. Gentleman is very pleased with his very successful first-round bid of £38 million for improvements related to the advanced manufacturing innovation district Scotland.