BYRNE CALLS ON CHANCELLOR TO BACK “TRANSFORMATIVE” UK CENTRAL GATEWAY PLAN TO UNLOCK £10 BILLION INVESTMENT AND TACKLE INEQUALITY IN EAST BIRMINGHAM

Liam Byrne MP has called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, to back the West Midlands Mayor’s ambitious UK Central Gateway plan in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

In a letter to the Chancellor, Byrne praised the Mayor’s leadership and urged the Treasury to support what he described as a “transformative infrastructure plan” that could deliver 55,000 new jobs, 7,700 new homes, and £10 billion of private investment—all while connecting some of Britain’s most deprived communities to the economic opportunities of HS2, Birmingham city centre, and the Airport.

Liam Byrne wrote: “When HS2 came to Cabinet all those years ago, it was clear to me that the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs in and around Birmingham opened up the chance to revolutionise prospects for what is currently the most deprived part of our country.”

He added: “The Mayor’s plan is exactly the kind of bold, joined-up vision we need to make levelling up real. East Birmingham and North Solihull should not be left behind—they must be centre-stage in the reinvention of our region.

”The UK Central Gateway includes proposals for a new Metro line stretching from East Birmingham to Birmingham Airport and the HS2 Interchange, as well as the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to accelerate planning, cut red tape, and drive regeneration at scale. “This is more than a transport scheme,” Byrne said. “It’s a national test of whether inclusive growth is a slogan or a strategy.

He concluded by urging the Chancellor to provide the investment and institutional backing required to deliver the Gateway vision “with the urgency the West Midlands deserves.”