Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department notified the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of its plan to cancel the A12 widening scheme.

The Government inherited a series of unfunded commitments, including on the A12.

In July 2025, the Government announced that following the conclusion of the Spending Review it had taken the difficult decision to cancel the A12 (Chelmsford to A120) widening scheme, to provide certainty to the public.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was notified at the time. The decision was based on evidence, to which MHCLG contributed, assessed against a wide range of criteria, including housing impacts.

The A12 scheme had been repeatedly deferred by the previous Government, in which the Rt Hon Member served.