Metrolink Tram to be Extended into Stockport

Since being elected to the House of Commons in 2019, I have worked tirelessly to make sure that Stockport receives the investment it deserves. 

I have repeatedly urged both this and the previous government to support the extension of the Metrolink tram system into Stockport town centre. From my maiden speech on 9 March 2020 to recent debates in the House of Commons, I have raised this matter in Parliament seven times orally, including with Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions on 25 November 2020. Since Labour came into power last year, I have also made the case for this vital extension during meetings with the new Prime Minister and the Department for Transport. 

Stockport constituency has been let down time and time again when it comes to investment in our public transport. The Conservatives tried to paper over this failure with empty slogans like ‘levelling up’. But they remained just that – slogans – with nothing delivered. Years of mismanagement of the public finances and underinvestment in the infrastructure we all rely on led to too many broken promises, especially for local people here in Stockport.

That ends with this Labour Government because we understand what needs to be done. After years of the NorthWest receiving much lower transport funding per capita compared to London, the Chancellor has today announced that working people in Greater Manchester will benefit from a £2.5 billion investment in local transport. This forms part of the biggest ever investment in buses, trams and local train infrastructure in city regions.

This funding will enable our Labour Mayor, Andy Burnham, to extend the Metrolink tram into Stockport- bringing Bee Network trams to our town centre. This will be a huge boost for Stockport’s connectivity and local economy, helping people to get to work, school and healthcare appointments more easily and sustainably as well as unlocking new homes and jobs.

Brick by brick, road by road, track by track, this Labour government will make every part of Britain better off. And I will fight every day to make sure Stockport continues to get its fair share of investment.