Labour Candidate Slams Tories on Crossrail

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After Shadow London Minister says it could be scrapped

Bassam Mahfouz, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing Central & Acton (ECA) has roundly condemned the Conservatives for failing to back Crossrail after the Shadow London Minister, Justine Greening, appeared to say that support for the project wasn't guaranteed.

The Labour party seized on Ms Greening's comments who told London's LBC radio that she "cannot guarantee" that the building of the £16bn Crossrail scheme – an east-to-west rail link across the capital – would continue under the Conservatives.

The Tories' opponents said Greening's comments contradicted a commitment in the Conservative manifesto, published earlier this week, which says: "We support Crossrail and the electrification of the Great Western line to south Wales."

Greening told LBC earlier today that she was unable to give "a line-by-line budget on projects across government, including Crossrail. Everything's up for review but we think it's important," she said.

Pressed on whether this meant that a Tory government would allow the Crossrail development to continue, Greening replied: "I can't give a guarantee that it will continue."

Asked if this meant it could be scrapped altogether, Greening said: "It's possible, but at the end of the day we've always said that we think it's an important project and actually the reason this is important is we want to be responsible, so we can't pretend that we can write an entire budget outside of government. We've said we'll do one within 50 days of getting into government if we get elected and we will then provide some clarity and certainty."

Greening's comments are likely to alarm Boris Johnson, the Tory mayor of London, who has repeatedly hailed Crossrail as a scheme which will create thousands of jobs and boost the capital's economy.

Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, accused the Conservatives of "weasel words".

"The Tories' supposed commitment to Crossrail lasted just two days. Now Justine Greening has exposed the weasel words in the Tory manifesto for what they are," he said.

"This sends an alarming message to business in and around the capital, to Londoners, and also calls into question the extent of their commitment to all other infrastructure projects, including high-speed rail."

Johnson stood shoulder to shoulder with Adonis and Gordon Brown last year to mark the formal start of the construction the major railway project.

At the time, he said: "The years of hesitation, irresolution and vacillation are over, the shovels have tasted earth and the construction of a railway that is crucial to the economic prosperity of this great city has begun.

"This amazing project will create and support thousands of jobs, relieve congestion and provide a high-speed link between east and west of London. When the first of Crossrail's chariots glide smoothly along its lines in 2017 it will change the face of transport in London and the south east forever."

Kulveer Ranger, Johnson's transport adviser, said today: "The mayor's passion and support for Crossrail is unquenched and his view is it is not a want but a must for the capital. Every inch of London will benefit from the jobs, increase in capacity and easing of congestion that Crossrail will bring."

The Conservative party, which has been keen to call attention to Johnson's administration during the election campaign, insisted its position on Crossrail was "very clear". A spokeswoman said Crossrail would be part of a Tory government's spending review alongside everything apart from health and international development, whose funding has been ring-fenced.

"Our position is consistent and claims to the contrary are disingenuous," she said.

The party issued a quote David Cameron made last November, in which he said: "I back Crossrail. I want Crossrail to go ahead. Obviously everything has to pass the value-for-money test and all the rest, but we want it to go ahead."

Mr Mahfouz said today: "Crossrail is an example of a project that not only maintains public investment but will reap huge rewards for our economy. It will add 10% to London's transport capacity, create 14,000 jobs in the construction period alone and add an estimated £20billion to London's economy. This in turn will bring huge benefits to the British economy and to the public finances.

"The benefits to Ealing and Acton of a successfully completed Crossrail are self-evident. Many of the improvements local residents have been crying out for at their stations and to their service are reliant on Crossrail being delivered.

"Despite this the Tories have failed to support the funding stream that took years for a Labour government to put together. The Shadow London Minister has confirmed in a radio interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari that for the Conservatives, Crossrail is not a priority. When asked the direct question, “The Conservatives could scrap Crossrail?”, the Conservative would-be Minister said, “It’s possible.” Having previously stated, “I can’t give a guarantee that it will continue.”

Mr Mahfouz continued, “I know how important Crossrail is for our stations, for our connections to and beyond central London and for regeneration of this borough and its town centres. That’s why Labour is committed to delivering this vital project for the long-term benefits it will undoubtedly bring. What we now know is a vote for Angie Bray and the Conservatives will be a vote to scrap Crossrail and to forget about improvements to Ealing Broadway, West Ealing and Acton Main Line stations for the foreseeable future.”

Jon Ball, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for ECA, commented: "Crossrail is vital for both residents and the economy of both Ealing and Acton and the Liberal Democrats locally and nationally entirely support the completion of the Crossrail project. We should be working to improve what Crossrail is offering, by ensuring that it integrates better with buses rather than questioning its funding.

"All too often politicians renege on manifesto commitments, but it is unusual that in this case the Tories are distancing themselves from their own manifesto commitment before the election!"

Angie Bray, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for ECA said: "Our policy has not changed. Crossrail remains a Conservative manifesto commitment and we fully support it because we know how important Crossrail is to London and to everyone in Ealing and Acton.

"If elected Crossrail will remain one of my top priorities as indeed it is for our Mayor, Boris Johnson.

"If we are all being honest it is worth noting that LibDem Vince Cable told his party conference last Autumn that Crossrail was not a priority and the Labour party has also given no absolute guarantee of funding going forward for Crossrail. But it remains a manifesto commitment for the Conservatives."

John Beeston, Chair of Ealing Passenger Transport Users Group added, “It would cost more to cancel the project than to go ahead with it. A lot of the improvements to the stations that will make the DDA (full access) compliant have been put back to be integrated as part of these works. We’ve seen it before at Greenford Station when a funded transport project has had millions spent on it before being cancelled, which is very short-sighted.”

April 20, 2010