East Midlands Mayor fumes as major road schemes face axe

Mayor Claire Ward says government plans to axe two major road schemes in the East Midlands to fund defence spending are “completely unacceptable”.

Earlier today, outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an extra £15bn of funding for the country’s military forces in the governments Defence Investment Plan – money which he said had been found by “reprioritising” £10bn of public sector spending on infrastructure projects.

Around £700m of that funding will come from Department for Transport budgets, with the potential cancellation of projects on the A38 near Derby and A46 near Newark named in a policy paper published by HM Treasury this afternoon.

Ward says the East Midlands has been asked to bear the brunt of cost cutting measures intended to pay for defence spending, adding that she didn’t learn of the decision until mid-way through the Prime Minister’s speech earlier today.

“If Mayors and their regions are to be seen as respected partners of government, we need to be treated like grown-ups and involved in trade-offs which affect our regions,” she said.

“The trade-offs here are ones I understand. I understand that increasing investment into defence means removing it from other things. I understand that everywhere will need to contribute so that we can be safe in a less certain world.

“What I cannot understand is why the only region being asked to lose £900 million of investment into its roads is the East Midlands – that is not equitable and fails to recognise the decades of underinvestment that have preceded today’s decision.”

In August 2025, the Government confirmed a list of a dozen projects which would be included in its list of major road schemes set to be delivered over the next five years, known as RIS3.

Included in that list was a long-awaited upgrade of junctions on the A38 near Derby and the dualling of around five miles of carriageway on the A46 near Newark, which are now facing the axe as the government says they are “not as far along” as other road schemes on the list.

In its summary of the project, National Highways says the A38 through Derby is “vital” for the region’s economy and daily commutes, adding that three roundabouts affected by the scheme are subject to frequent congestion, poor journey time reliability, and safety concerns.

“We will not serve our defence sector well if we underinvest into its enabling infrastructure,” added Ward.

“The East Midlands will play its part in delivering a safer world, we have strengths in defence and will be investing into those alongside the government. But people working in defence need good roads so that their staff can get to work, access their supply chains, and trade.

“The Government must seek contributions from regions other than ours and from spending areas other than roads. This is what I am asking Ministers for today.”