Transport secretary tight-lipped on dualling of the A1 in Northumberland

Speaking at Newsham in Blyth on Monday, secretary of state Mark Harper said the Government would not be commenting before it was ready – but added he was well aware of the campaign to dual the road and that Berwick MP Anne Marie Trevelyan had been making the case to him.

The Government had pledged to make a decision on whether it would dual a 13-mile stretch of the road between Morpeth and Ellingham in December.

At the time, Transport Minister Huw Merriman said a further nine months was needed for “consideration of environmental matters”.

However, on the day the decision was due to be announced, campaigners were instead told they would have to wait until September this year for the final say-so – leading to frustration and disappointment across the county.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Harper said: “Like a lot of these projects, there are business cases to get made, they get get looked at and we make announcements in the usual way. We don’t make announcements as we go along.

“I know Anne Marie Trevelyan, one of the local members of parliament, has been campaigning very strong for it and she takes every opportunity to make the case to me very strongly for it.

“The department is working on the case for that project, and when we’re ready to say something we will.”

During her short-lived spell as Transport Minister under Liz Truss’s leadership, Ms Trevelyan said the Government must “deliver on its promises” to dual the A1. Her position at the department of transport led to hope locally that the project would finally get under way after decades of campaigning.

However, Ms Trevelyan left her role following Mrs Truss’s resignation and was subsequently replaced by Mr Harper, casting fresh doubt over the dual carriageway project.

Last month it was revealed that a staggering £67m has already been spent on the proposed upgrade of the A1 even though it has not yet received the green light.