BRITISH home secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday (4) promised to spend £100 billion to develop regions outside London.
Javid’s announcement comes following a report that warned that all new jobs were set to go to London and the south east. The rest of the nation would end up competing for the rest unless proper action is taken.
If elected prime minister, he would change all that, said Javid.
“Much of our infrastructure is creaking and in desperate need of upgrading. And for too long much of our investment has been focused on London and the South-East, leaving other parts of our country feeling left behind,” said Javid.
He added: “We urgently need to address these issues. That’s why as prime minister I would establish a £100 billion fund, based outside London, to invest in UK infrastructure, helping create new well-paid jobs, improve transport links, and upgrade connectivity across the UK.
“By building new infrastructure and delivering prosperity in all parts of the country we can create a more united country, in which everyone can get the opportunity to get on in life.”
The home secretary said he wanted to unify the country and provide everyone an opportunity to succeed. “We can’t be a one nation party if we’ve got two economies – London and the South East, and then everywhere else.
“When I talk about unifying the country, I’m talking about giving everybody an opportunity to get on – not just giving people a chance to make their way in the capital.”
Javid announced his bid to run for the post of the leader of the Conservative party on May 27 with video on microblogging platform Twitter.
Entering his name into the fray, Javid said he wanted to “restore trust, bring unity and create new opportunities across the UK.”
“First and foremost, we must deliver Brexit. Join @TeamSaj to help me do just that,” Javid tweeted.
Last week, the Tory leadership candidate also said he was prepared to take Britain out of the EU without a deal, and ruled out the possibility of a second referendum.
In a piece for the Daily Mail, Javid wrote: “The voters have been asked their opinion more than enough times.
“Never in this country’s history have we asked people to go to the polls a second time without implementing their verdict from the first.
“Another vote before we leave would be disastrous for trust in politics, and cause the kind of chaos that risks handing Jeremy Corbyn and his hard-left supporters the keys to No 10.”
