MICHAEL Gove will announce plans to bypass Holyrood and invest UK Government money into the upgrading of the A75, according to reports.
The news will reportedly be announced after the much delayed publication of the Union Connectivity Review.
David Duguid - who has now been fired as a Scotland Office minister - previously said there was “definitely” an opportunity to bypass Holyrood in the area.
The plans to bypass Holyrood and fund the upgrade of the A75 were also alluded to in Boris Johnson’s speech to the Tory conference.
He told his party membership: “We will restore those sinews of the Union that have been allowed to atrophy, the A1 north of Berwick and on into Scotland, the A75 in Scotland that is so vital.”
The A75 runs from Gretna Green on the English border to Stranraer. It is an important road for connecting to the Northern Ireland ferry link from Cairnryan.
The cash for the upgrade will come from the UK Government’s esoteric “levelling-up fund”, which Gove has been handed control over in his newly minted “levelling-up” ministerial role.
The fund has been introduced to replace EU funding which was lost as a result of Brexit, and which was previously administered by Holyrood.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The A75 and A1 are part of Scotland’s strategic road network, which Scottish Government ministers have ultimate responsibility for.
READ MORE: Westminster outlines plans to bypass Holyrood and spend in devolved areas
“We will always seek to engage constructively with the UK Government – for example, on cross-border rail and our shared desire for HS2 to serve Scotland – but UK Government ministers have no role in deciding investment in Scotland’s trunk roads.
“We are already considering infrastructure enhancements which include cross border routes such as the A75 and the A1. We await further detail on the references to the A1 and A75 in the Prime Minister’s speech.”
Tory MSP Finlay Carson said the move to bypass Holyrood would “no doubt anger the Scottish Government given that roads are a devolved issue” - but supported it.
He said: “It has now got to a point where people are running out of patience. They want the work done and really don’t care who picks up the bill.
“The SNP Government has had every opportunity to bring about investment in this key arterial route but has repeatedly failed to deliver.
“How many times have they promised to improve the road infrastructure, yet it never happens.”
The Union Connectivity Review - which is supposed to include a feasibility study of the Celtic link between Scotland and the island of Ireland - has been repeatedly delayed, with the SNP saying it seems to have been buried.
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