Today, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a £15.6 billion boost for regional transport in next week’s spending review. But one gentleman’s reaction perfectly summed up how many of us felt.
🚆 Big promises for transport
Reeves proudly declared this investment the “biggest ever” by a British government outside London and the South East. She said metro mayors will receive funding directly to spend on:
- New train stations
- Tram extensions
- Bus routes
She listed allocations for several regions:
- £2.5 billion for Greater Manchester, to add tram stops in Bury, Manchester and Oldham.
- £2.4 billion for the West Midlands, extending the metro from Birmingham city centre to the new sports quarter.
- £2.1 billion for West Yorkshire, kicking off the West Yorkshire Mass Transit by 2028.
- £2 billion for the East Midlands, designing a new mass transit system between Derby and Nottingham.
- £1.8 billion for the North East, extending the Tyne and Wear metro from Newcastle to Sunderland via Washington.
- £1.6 billion for Liverpool City Region, to add new bus routes, including links to the airport and football stadiums.
- £1.5 billion for South Yorkshire, with £530 million to renew the region’s trams.
- £1 billion for Tees Valley, including £60 million for Platform 3 at Middlesbrough station.
- £800 million for the West of England, with £200 million for mass transit links between Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
🤷♂️ The honest caveat
Yet Reeves admitted she can’t fund every project:
“Does that mean we’ll be able to do everything we want to do? No… there are good things that I’ve had to say no to.”
She blamed a decade and a half of Conservative underinvestment:
“It’s not because of my self-imposed fiscal rules but 14 years of Conservative maltreatment of our public services, our public realm, and our economy.”
😲 The reaction that stole the show
Despite the big figures, one man’s expression went viral. As Reeves spoke, he stared into space, jaw slack, looking utterly defeated. Viewers on social media quickly pointed out that his face summed up the public mood perfectly—hopeful but sceptical.
One X user commented:
“I think the guy second left sums up how we all feel listening to Rachel Reeves.”
Watch
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