Tim Farron joins forces with former Prime Minister to call for green light for A66 upgrade

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has teamed up with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ask the Government to confirm if they will provide the money for the planned upgrade of the A66.

The plans, which would dual 18 miles of the road between Penrith and Scotch Corner, have been thrown into doubt after being included in a spending review carried out by the Department for Transport.

Tim and Rishi Sunak, who is the MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire, have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to say that there we 12 fatalities on the stretch of road last year, and that the scheme would help to reduce congestion and boost the economy.

Writing to the Prime Minister, Tim said: “We hope to persuade you to commit to backing this project with the funding it needs. The longer it is left under review, the longer our constituents are left in uncertainty, and the longer preventable accidents will continue. You can – and must – act swiftly to stop these horrifying accidents.

“Completion of the dualling project would also deliver noticeable benefits for our region – reducing congestion and boosting the wider economy. It will improve connections between Cumbria, North Yorkshire, the Tees Valley, and Tyne and Wear. It will also boost the tourism economy in our region and ease traffic pressure on our rural communities.

“Would you meet with my co-signatory and I, who agree cross party on the benefit to our neighbouring constituencies that your commitment to this project would bring?”