East Midlands Chamber has welcomed much of the Government’s Defence Investment Plan but said any abandonment of planned projects like A46 and A38 investment in the region, as reported by the East Midlands Combined County Authority, would be concerning after ‘historic under investment compared to other areas of the UK’.
East Midlands Chamber Director of Policy and Insight Richard Blackmore said: “While UK-wide defence emphasis is welcome, the East Midlands has been at the back of the queue when it comes to investment for years, with roads among infrastructure desperately needing vital and long overdue upgrades.
“For the East Midlands Combined County Authority to have secured agreement to improve key routes like the A46 and A38, only for the projects to stall, as they have reported, is frustrating. The East Midlands has endured historic under investment compared to other parts of the UK for far too long and the region has continually had to shout the case for investment from the rooftops. There are many projects, such as Midland Mainline electrification to pick one, across the decades, where East Midlands investment is withdrawn for spending elsewhere.
“The Chamber’s Framework for Growth, published at the end of 2025, calls for significant increased investment in transport infrastructure to unlock the full potential of the region. Stalling these plans would be a backward step that hinders not helps growth, so I strongly urge policymakers to reconsider any such plans and fully recognise the essential and compelling case for greater investment and the prompt completion of transport improvements to enable the East Midlands to thrive, boosting the UK economy.
“This doesn’t undermine the need for defence spending in these turbulent geo-political times, which is of paramount importance. This shouldn’t however come at the cost of removing essential regional investment. This key message will likely be repeated with near future potential Government leadership, which has promised growth in every post code and I would hope this also means the East Midlands.”
View East Midlands Chamber’s Framework for Growth in full here.
