Conservative mp says 'taps have been turned off for teesside' under labour

Teesside’s last remaining Conservative MP has accused the new Labour Government of turning its back on the area. Stockton West MP Matt Vickers said the “taps have been well and truly turned

off for Teesside” under the current Government, highlighting the lack of representation from the area at top levels of the new administration. Teesside received a number of high profile

Government projects under the Conservatives, while Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland’s Simon Clarke was briefly a Cabinet Minister as Secretary of State for Levelling Up. But Labour has

hit back at Mr Vickers and said a major investment in carbon capture and storage would create jobs on Teesside. Mr Vickers said: “Under the last government Teesside had a strong voice and

was well represented in office. "Over the course of the last parliament we had a Secretary of State, Minister of State and the Prime Minister on our doorstep. They made the case for

Teesside and the benefits followed. “We became home to the UK’s first and biggest freeport, brought Treasury jobs to Darlington, gained levelling up and Town Deal funding by the bucket load,

and improvements to train stations in Darlington, Middlesbrough and Eaglescliffe. We saw £57.5m of investment in Stockton’s schools and as well as securing funding for Stockton’s new

diagnostic hospital we saw upgrade to facilities at both North Tees and James Cook hospitals. “But now the taps are turned off when it comes to Government investment in Teesside. The billion

pound of infrastructure investment set aside from the HS2 cancellation is still up in the air including the money to secure the future of the Transporter Bridge, build a new bus and train

terminal at Teesside Park and upgrade Thornaby station. The recent hospital investment programme also saw a lack of investment for Teesside”. Mr Vickers clashed with the Government earlier

this week over the lack of funding to replace North Tees Hospital in Stockton. Labour hit back and said North Tees had not been in the Conservatives’ programme to build 40 new hospitals

around the UK. Mr Vickers was left as the sole Conservative voice from Teesside in the House of Commons after last year’s General Election. With most of the victorious Labour MPs being new

to the Commons, none has so far been appointed to senior Ministerial roles, though the wider North East has two MPs attending the Cabinet through Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and

Government Chief Whip Sir Alan Campbell. A Labour spokesman said: “Teesside was hung out to dry during the 14 years Mr Vickers’ party was in Government. The ‘Levelling Up’ agenda was

revealed to be nothing more than empty promises, while his pals partied during lockdown. “That’s why in July 2024, the people of Teesside and the North East voted overwhelmingly to reject

the Conservatives and vote for change. The Government is now getting on with the job of delivering that change, as seen in the billions of pounds coming into Teesside for carbon capture and

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