Brown must come clean about cost of rail electrification

Theresa Villiers has welcomed the news that the Great Western Main Line and part of the West Coast Main Line will be electrified - but she said that Gordon Brown is “living in a fantasy land” if he thinks it can come at no cost to the taxpayer.

The Shadow Transport Secretary stressed further electrification of our railways is “an important way to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from transport”.

But she asked, “After Lord Mandelson announced cuts to the transport budget, how can we believe that Labour can announce £1.1 billion of new spending without impacting on existing transport commitments or putting further strain on public finances already stretched to breaking point?”

And she called on Gordon Brown to “come clean about what current transport schemes could now face cuts to pay for today's announcement.”