Chancellor Rachel Reeves indicates she is ready to spend billions on a high speed rail link between Liverpool and Manchester and fund the reopening of Southport Pier. Tony McDonough reports

There was good news for Liverpool city region in the Chancellor’s Spending Review on Wednesday when she gave her backing to two major projects.

Rachel Reeves stood up in the House of Commons and delivered her review to MPs. While many of the announcements had already been leaked prior to the speech, there were two pieces of news that went down well in the city region.

Firstly, the Chancellor said she would back a new high speed rail link between Liverpool and Manchester, expected to cost tens of billions of pounds. She also indicated she is ready to fund the £13m reopening of Southport Pier.

Metro Mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham have been pushing the Government to fund the rail line which would link Liverpool and Manchester city centres and Manchester Airport.

While it was light on detail Mr Rotheram said these were “really positive signals” from the Chancellor. He added: “We’ll be eagerly awaiting the details in the forthcoming infrastructure strategy.

“Our proposals for the Liverpool-Manchester Railway are about far more than just laying some railway tracks.

“It’s about better connecting people to jobs and opportunities; supporting growth across the north, and unlocking thousands of new homes. A modern rail link befitting two of the UK’s great cities could help spark £90bn of economic growth across the North.”

Ms Reeves was equally non-specific on the Southport Pier Project. Dating back to 1860, the pier was closed to the public in December 2022 owing to the need for critical structural repairs.

Sefton Council had been looking to the Government to provide the £13m needed to get it reopened. LBN understands that while council officers are remaining cautious they are “very optimistic” that help is on the way.

In a statement it said: “We welcome the Chancellor referencing Southport Pier today as part of the spending review. As a council we have said we are ready to go as soon as funding is secured and we look forward to finding out more detail about the Growth Mission Fund in due course.”

Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber, said: “Businesses in Liverpool city region recognise that better transport can help them to power their growth plans through easier movement of people and goods in all directions.

““The proposed Liverpool-Manchester rail line, combined with further investment in the transpennine route, offers an excellent opportunity to maximise connectivity across the North West if it better connects our key strategic transport assets, including Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

“That enhanced connectivity can also boost our attractiveness as an investment destination. We have long-standing challenges with regards to movement of freight, particularly on the West Coast mainline, so the plans must seek to address those issues and improve access to and from other UK cities such as Birmingham.”