Vince Cable, the Business secretary said the government should refocus on 40 large-scale plans to invest in roads, railways, hospitals and universities in this month’s budget and beyond.

Cable said on the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme: “I think we should be doing a lot more capital spending and that’s where the focus has got to be now. “Public investment has fallen from £50bn when the coalition in 2010 to £28bn, and will drop to £25bn next year and £22bn the year after”. Cable said this was not an adequate response to Britain’s economic problems. “We need to do a lot more. This is the area where the government through the budget and subsequently now has to focus,” he said. Guardian 4th Feb.

Bill Winlow agrees and says that “Vince is a man to practice what he preaches and has a had a hand in getting Preston to apply for City Deal status”.