'Northern transport is Labour's top priority - but we'll be honest'

Labour has promised to improve railways across the North of England - but the party has refused to commit to specific schemes.

Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh has told the Manchester Evening News that the party has not ruled anything out - including building the new platforms at Piccadilly which were promised more than a decade ago but cancelled last year. However, the party has not committed to building the new high-speed railway line from Manchester to Liverpool which is currently on the table.

Ms Haigh also said there are 'lots of option on the table' when it comes to improving rail links between Manchester and Birmingham. This includes the plans for a new line that mayor Andy Burnham put forward after the Northern leg of HS2 was scrapped last year.

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However, Ms Haigh said that Labour will not take the HS2 plans 'back off the shelf' because the costs of it were 'completely out of control'. It comes as the party awaits the findings of an independent expert-led review into rail and urban transport infrastructure.

Ahead of the publication of that review, which was commissioned after the Conservatives cancelled phase 2 of HS2 last year, Labour has said that it will aim to deliver new projects 25 per cent faster and 20 per cent cheaper than existing ones. The Labour manifesto, which was published last week, promises to prioritise improving rail connectivity across the North - but does not list specific schemes.

The M.E.N. asked Ms Haigh, who was visiting Manchester Airport on Thursday (June 20), what voters can expect in the first five years of a Labour government if the party wins the general election. She said: "What