Motorists
Thursday, 20 November 2025
Contributions
Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)Conservative
13. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of support for motorists.
The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)Labour
This Government are on the side of drivers and are focused on making journeys safer and smoother, and saving motorists money. Over the past year alone, we have invested an extra £500 million in road maintenance, given the green light to over 30 road schemes and committed £650 million to cut the purchase cost of electric vehicles.
Does the Secretary of State agree that the introduction of a pay-per-mile charge for motorists in next week’s Budget would disproportionately impact rural constituencies such as mine, because people are more reliant on cars to get about, and represent yet another slap in the face from this Government for the countryside and for motorists?
There are no proposals to introduce a national pay-per-mile scheme. This Government are firmly on the side of drivers. As I have set out, we are pumping £24 billion of capital into motorways and local roads, with a record £1.6 billion for local roads maintenance this year, which is £500 million more than last year, and we are further repairing rundown bridges, decaying flyovers and worn-out tunnels.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5144820.