Labour urged to stick to spending promises

Stockton Conservative councillor Niall Innes defended the previous government's spending record

Labour has been criticised for its decision to review spending commitments agreed by Rishi Sunak's Conservative government.

In the north-east of England and Cumbria, they include a review of plans to dual a section of the A1 and A66, and Levelling Up investment promised to Newcastle, South Shields, Billingham and Kendal.

Stockton Conservative councillor Niall Innes said: "The way to close the gap is not to pause and to say 'let's rethink'. It's actually about continuing that investment."

North East Mayor, Labour's Kim McGuinness, said the government had "really ambitious plans".

Speaking to BBC One's Politics North, Innes said "fantastic things" had come to the north-east of England under Levelling Up funding from the previous government.

"Huge amounts of investment, huge numbers of jobs coming in," Innes said.

However, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, said Conservative levelling up bids were an "absolute farce".

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon said a plan was needed to grow the economy

Gordon then said he was concerned that cutting projects now would hit economic growth.

"I think where money has been promised it should be kept and delivered," he said.

Gordon said he was worried money promised to expand and rebuild a college in Harrogate would be "clawed back".

He added: "We keep getting excuses about how hard it is, the black hole, but what we need is a plan to grow the economy and you're not going to do that by cutting your way there."

Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a review of "unfunded" transport projects earlier this year, throwing doubt onto projects like the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland.

North East Mayor, Labour's Kim McGuinness, said she wanted to see the A1 dualled

Ms McGuinness, said the government had "really ambitious plans" around transport and green energy whereas the Conservatives' levelling-up agenda was nothing more than a slogan.

"I think if you go out on to the street and you speak to people and you say 'levelling up', they roll their eyes because actually what we saw with the Tories is that we went backwards and the gap between North and South grew," she said.

Ms McGuinness said she "absolutely" wanted to see the A1 dualled and wanted a good programme of investment in the North East.