The £140bn chasm that shows how the North has suffered in 'a decade of deceit'

If the government spent the same amount on transport in the North of England as it did in London over the last 14 years, we would have had £140bn more. That's according to new analysis which has found that regional disparities have 'ballooned' in the last decade.

Independent analysis of Treasury figures by think tank IPPR North has found that, in the 10 years up to 2022/23, the government spent £1,183 per person in London. During the same period, the North saw just £486 per person spent on transport projects across the region.

During the course of the decade, the North West saw £540 per person spent while the UK as a whole received £603 per person.

The Midlands fared even worse - receiving just £455 per person - with the East Midlands receiving the lowest investment at just £355.

The latest analysis by IPPR North comes just a few days before Rachel Reeves reveals her spending plans for the next three years.

Ahead of the Spending Review on Wednesday (June 11), the Chancellor was in Rochdale last week to announce more than £15bn for transport in the North and Midlands, including £2.5bn for new buses, tram stops and a Metrolink extension in Greater Manchester.

The government is also expected to back plans to build a new railway line between Manchester and Liverpool later this week.

The Manchester Evening News understands 'hundreds of millions' have been set aside to develop plans to build the line by the 2030s.

But this investment comes after a 'decade of broken promises' in which the North missed out on more than £140bn, IPPR North says.

This would have been enough to build seven Elizabeth lines - the capital's costly Crossrail project which finally opened in 2022.

According to IPPR North, the £140bn the North missed out