West Yorkshire Mayor calls on Liz Truss to bring back Northern Powerhouse Rail plans

In an open letter to Liz Truss, Ms Brabin invited the new premier to her office in Yorkshire where they could discuss their “shared vision” for the region.

But Ms Brabin, who has held the role of West Yorkshire Mayor since May 2021, also has a list of “asks”, including help with energy bills, a commitment to levelling up the north, and to properly fund services after years of central government austerity.

The letter read: "I congratulate you on your appointment as Prime Minister. I look forward to working with you closely to deliver on levelling up and enable West Yorkshire to reach its full potential.

“From one female leader to another, I would be delighted to invite you to join me in my offices in Leeds, where we can discuss our shared vision for the region over a mug of Yorkshire tea.

“My door is open. We must work together to unlock opportunity, tackle inequalities, and share prosperity across my region. A successful West Yorkshire is key to the future economic success of the UK.”

It went on to list a “top three asks” of the new PM – those being to help people tackle the crisis in the cost of living and doing business, keeping levelling up as part of Government plans and fully deliver Northern Powerhouse rail, which was scrapped by Boris Johnson’s government.

The letter stated: “If the energy price cap rise goes ahead, one in three households in West Yorkshire will have no disposable income left after paying energy bills.

"Within that, the energy bills of one in five households would become unaffordable.

"I want to see the Government deliver on their party’s pledge to “level up” the North with long-promised investment, especially on transport. This includes delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, with a new line from Manchester to Leeds and a vital new station in Bradford.”

Northern Powerhouse Rail was a planned high speed line that would have linked Liverpool and Hull, with stops at Manchester, Bradford and Leeds.

However, despite regional support for the plans, they were scrapped by then-transport secretary Grant Shapps in last year’s Integrated Rail Plan.