Northern mayors mock government's post as funds go to London

Scrapping the north high speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester caused a backlash earlier this year

Northern mayors have mocked the government for a post announcing £235m of transport funding under the "Network North" logo - for roads in London.

The slogan was dreamed up by Whitehall as the branding for how some £36bn would be spent after the northern leg of HS2 was controversially axed.

But Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the concept seemed to include "everywhere except the north".

Scrapping the north high speed link caused a backlash earlier this year.

The post on X, which highlighted only money being diverted to the capital, has been widely mocked.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracey Brabin said: "I know the north isn't a priority for this government but seriously."

Mr Burnham said it was "pretty insulting" that promised investment was being "parcelled out everywhere else under the banner of Network North".

"It would be a nice idea, if it was a network, and it was in the north", he added.

Liberal Demoract Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, joked that it was "great to see the rural northern village of London finally getting the levelling up funding it deserves".

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, said she had to check the diversion of funds to London roads "wasn't a parody".

Presenter Carol Vorderman said "can someone send them a map", while the Labour MP for Denton and Reddish Andrew Gwynne said to "badge this as a Network North project is extracting the urine in a big way".

The funding would allow millions of road users in London to enjoy "smoother and safer journeys", which "only possible due to £8.3 billion of extra investment from redirected HS2 funding", the Department for Transport said.

In response to the backlash, Transport Secretary Mark Harper posted his own comment, saying it was "great that people are talking about our Network North plan".

"Every penny of the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 will be reinvested in the north," he added.

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