Today I spoke about my campaign to get Great British Railways, the new HQ for our railways, to Eastleigh in a parliamentary debate.
I firmly believe Eastleigh is the perfect location for Great British Railways. A few weeks ago, I wrote to the Transport Secretary to make the case for Eastleigh when I launched our local bid. We have so much to offer Great British Railways as a new home and I think with our historic railway connections, Eastleigh would be a brilliant choice. This plan would also help create lots of new job opportunities for our area and regenerate our town centre. A win-win for local people.
Recently, Conservative-controlled Southampton City Council also announced they were interested in bidding for the new headquarters. My position on this is clear. As well as launching our bid weeks before Southampton, I believe Eastleigh's history and status of as a railway town is much stronger. Southampton is a port with a maritime history, not a railway town. As I said in my speech in Parliament, my message to Southampton is simple: 'Hands off - the railways belong to Eastleigh'.
You can see my full speech above.
