Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insists his government is 'levelling up' Stoke-on-Trent following the announcement of new transport funding.

During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Stoke-on-Trent North MP Jonathan Gullis said Mr Sunak 'has had our backs' in the Potteries since 2019, referring to this week's announcement that the city would receive £184 million in transport funding over seven years from 2025, as well as previous announcements such as the £30 million to improve buses.

The government says that areas such as Stoke-on-Trent will share billions of pounds of transport funding made available through the cancellation of HS2 north of Birmingham. Mr Gullis said: "I know the Opposition like to talk down Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke, but isn't it true that this Prime Minister and this Conservative party are the only ones with a plan to improve and better connect our communities and fix our broken roads and pavements?"

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, insists his government is 'levelling up' the city (Wiki Commons).

Mr Sunak, whose party has been in power for over 13 years, agreed that Stoke-on-Trent had previously been 'neglected' by Labour. He said: "He is right: over the next several years, his area will receive 10 times as much as it currently does to invest in local transport schemes as a result of this Government's decision on HS2. But he is also right to say that after years of being neglected by the party opposite, it is this Conservative Government that are levelling up across the country and in Stoke-on-Trent, championed by fantastic MPs like him."

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