'Boris Bridge' linking Scotland and Northern Ireland could be as essential as M25, says minister
A bridge linking Scotland and Northern Ireland could become as critical a part of UK infrastructure as the M25, a Cabinet minister has said.
Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said on Thursday morning that the so-called "Boris Bridge" would boost connectivity for the regions and was "a good thing, not just for Scotland and Northern Ireland but for the whole of our economy".
"Big infrastructure projects, throughout history, have been sometimes controversial, difficult, but they're the right thing to do," he said.
"The M25 wasn't a straightforward thing, but nobody could imagine life without it around London now."
The bridge, which would cost an estimated £20 billion, is envisioned to run from Portpatrick, in Dumfries and Galloway, to Larne, in the province.
However, an obstacle to this route is that it crosses Beaufort's Dyke, the UK's largest offshore dump site for munitions ranging from small arms to high explosives after the Second World War.
The trench measures more than 50 km long and 3.5 km wide and could prove dangerous if a bridge were built over it. In 2004, Michael Fellows, a former Royal Navy diver, said there are "sporadic explosions two or three times a month" in the Irish Sea.
Mr Lewis said Boris Johnson had "always been very clear about his enthusiasm for bridges and determination to deliver improved infrastructure".
He added: "More connectivity is good for the UK as a whole, and it's good for the economy and it can deliver jobs, so I think it's absolutely right that we do the work to look at the feasibility, the viability and how this can work and it would be an exciting project."
In 2018, The Telegraph revealed that Mr Johnson, then the Foreign Secretary, backed plans for a £15 billion bridge between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.
He said the mooted 24-mile link should be looked at "seriously" and added: "The problem is an absence of political will."
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "I think Government officials have done some work on this and they continue to work on a range of connectivity projects looking into, as the PM said, road, rail, air and cross sea links between all four parts of the United Kingdom."
However, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, suggested that £20 billion would be better spent on "more important priorities" and the SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said the Prime Minister should leave such decisions to the devolved administrations.
Mr Blackford attacked Mr Johnson for "bluff and bluster", noting other projects, such as London's Garden Bridge and the "Boris Island" airport, had failed to get off the ground. "This is a bridge too far for Boris Johnson," he said.
Earlier this year, the Government had appeared to favour a tunnel running from Portpatrick to Larne.
Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, said a tunnel would be cheaper to build than the bridge, which he warned may have to close for up to 100 days a year because of high winds.
Options including a crossing that incorporates both a bridge and tunnel were also on the agenda.
