LIVE: Rachel Reeves announces £15.6bn transport deal including massive Greater Manchester investment

Rachel Reeves is set to announce a multi-billion-pound investment in public transport across the North and Midlands this morning.

The substantial £15.6 billion funding package for mayoral regions is expected to include funding for the metro systems in Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear and the West Midlands, as well as revamping the tram network in South Yorkshire and introducing new mass transit systems in West Yorkshire.

Greater Manchester is set to receive £2.5 billion for projects including new tram stops in Bury, Manchester and Oldham and an extension of the tram network to Stockport.

Mayor Andy Burnham has called the announcement a "gamechanging moment that will underpin Greater Manchester’s green growth for years to come." Read more on the Greater Manchester plans here.

In her speech in Manchester on Wednesday, expected from around 9.15am, the Chancellor will make the case that Britain "cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country" and will advocate for a "new economic model – driven by investment in all parts of the country".

Reeves is also set to confirm that the upcoming spending review will feature amendments to the criteria within the Treasury's Green Book, which are pivotal in determining project funding eligibility.

Elsewhere in the UK, a £1.5 billion investment in South Yorkshire will encompass £530 million to renew the region's trams, while the East Midlands will be allocated £2 billion to design a new mass transit system between Derby and Nottingham.

We will be bringing you updates in the live blog below.

Our politics writer Joseph Timan is in Rochdale this morning waiting for Rachel Reeves' transport announcement.

I'm in Rochdale this morning where Rachel Reeves will