Thursday 16 December 2021
House of Commons
Chi Onwurah
Support for Business
“ Newcastle has a fantastic night-time economy and the Chancellor should visit, as it is a lot closer than California. Those businesses will be seeing a real reduction in footfall and trade, as will their suppliers directly, because of the omicron variant.
“What support is the Minister offering to them directly as a result of the omicron variant?
Affordable Bus Travel: North-east England
“ Despite having lower average earnings, my constituents pay much more for their bus journey than Londoners. Yet the Secretary of State refuses to confirm funding for our bus service improvement plan or to confirm funding for the Metro throughout the covid crisis, which means there is less money for our buses, which he also will not support during the covid crisis.
“We have had our application to reopen the Leamside line refused. We have had the HS2 eastern leg abandoned, which means there is no hope of getting high-speed trains in Newcastle. We have had the manifesto promises on the Northern Rail Powerhouse refused and they will not even help to paint the Tyne bridge for its 100th birthday.
“Why are the Government such a scrooge for north-east transport?
“ What steps is he (The Minister) taking to support affordable bus travel in the north-east.