Boris Johnson’s government has shelved a strategic plan to create a British rival to Silicon Valley around Oxford and Cambridge in order to prioritise “levelling up” spending in the north of England.
The “Oxford-Cambridge Arc”, a regional project designed to connect the UK’s two leading universities and the manufacturing and logistics centre of Milton Keynes by building east-west transport links, was a key priority of successive Conservative governments, until last year.
Individuals with detailed knowledge of the plans across Whitehall, industry and local government have told the Financial Times that the project is no longer considered a priority by ministers.