Chris Grayling berated as work begins to turn motorway into ‘no deal’ Brexit lorry park without telling residents
A Tory MP is furious work has begun to turn a motorway in his consistency into a "parking lot" in case of no deal Brexit without him knowing.
Tom Tugendhat, Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, berated Transport secretary Chris Grayling for work beginning overnight on the M26.
Part of the M26 will be closed overnight until Monday, and then again from November 19 to December 21, as the motorway is made ready to hold potentially hundreds of lorries.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday morning, Tugendhat said no one had been consulted on the project – and he had even received reassurances it would not take place.
He said: "It’s come to a pretty pass when a member finds out that works have begun on a motorway to turn that motorway into a parking lot without consultation either with the local community or with surrounding members.
Tugendhat added: "I wrote to the Secretary of State in April asking whether or not this would happen. I was assured that works were not planned and only yesterday was it confirmed to me that Highways England said that is exactly what was planned despite having told me the reverse over a week earlier."
He then called on Grayling to "explain to this House how planning permission has been granted with no consultation."
Grayling said he would meet his Conservative colleague to discuss this issue, adding: "I have to say that I do not expect any of the contingencies that we have in place for a no deal Brexit to be needed because I'm confident we will reach a sensible agreement."
Highways England confirmed to Sky News the Department of Transport had asked it to "develop plans to utilise the M26 to hold heavy goods vehicles, should further capacity be required in the future".
The ten-mile long M26 is not the only motorway earmarked as potential holding site for lorries travelling to Europe. A 13-mile stretch of the M20 is also set to be used as a car park as part of a contingency plan known as "Operation Brock".
Last month, a survey of more than 1,300 UK and EU supply chain managers revealed one in 10 British firms could go bankrupt if there were delays at ports of even half an hour after Brexit.
In June, the port of Dover's head of policy, Richard Christian, warned there would be "regular gridlock" if there was no deal with the EU, while researchers at Imperial College London have calculated just two extra minutes on vehicle checks could cause a 30-mile tailback.