EASTLEIGH MP Paul Holmes has accused the leader of the Liberal Democrats of ‘turning his back’ on the town over comments made about the council’s upcoming bid to house a new railway HQ.

Mr Holmes has said Sir Ed Davey has undermined the work of his fellow party members as Eastleigh Borough Council, a Liberal Democrat authority, readies itself to try and persuade the government to base Great British Railway’s (GBR) new headquarters on the south coast.

The government is planning to set up the organisation’s main hub in a railway town and is now allowing bids and submissions to find GBR’s new home, with Eastleigh’s civic chiefs keen to secure what would be a significant economic boost for the area.

Sir Davey visited York, another interested party, on Sunday (March 14), and in an interview with YorkMix played down Eastleigh's chances of securing the investment.

He said: “I’ve said it has to be York, the GBR headquarters should be here. You (York) also have the strongest case, not only as we’re here now in the National Railway Museum, but 10 per cent of the jobs in UK rail are based here in York. So yes, we are strongly backing York’s bid.”

When asked by YorkMix if he would be saying the same thing on a visit to Eastleigh, he said: “Well, the people of Eastleigh have got a proud railway history, too. But I think they’ll acknowledge that we need levelling up in our country to happen, and that it’s right that we should bring investment and jobs to the north of our country in areas that have been forgotten in the past.”

Responding to Sir Davey’s comments, Mr Holmes, who is being backed in his bid by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “I’m shocked to be honest and I’m very disappointed that the leader of the Liberal Democrats has decided the people of Eastleigh aren’t deserving of the Great British Railway bid.

“I’ve always said that levelling up is not just for the north, it’s for everywhere, and for every community that needs funding. The Prime Minister and the government have been very clear about that.

“My constituency is no different to York in that we have some very challenging areas, like the town centre, which need regenerating and GBR is a way in which I think we could do that.

“I’m really saddened that Ed Davey, who leads the party which held my seat for many years and has a council controlled by the Lib Dems, decided that they’re not worthy enough. He obviously hasn’t spoken to his local Liberal Democrats because we are working very closely together to get this bid in, and that bid will be submitted by myself and the Eastleigh Borough Council which is controlled by his own party. He’s turned his back on the people of Eastleigh.

“He said during the interview he thinks the people of Eastleigh will acknowledge that the north needs levelling up. Well actually, the people of Eastleigh want investment, and I think they’ll in fact be very angry at the attitude of the Lib Dem leader towards them.”

The creation of GBR, which will soon run the rail service, is said to be the biggest change to the industry in 25 years and is aimed at integrating the railways, owning the infrastructure, collecting fare revenue, running and planning the network, and setting most fares and timetables.

By basing the HQ outside London, the Government says it wants to “ensure that skilled jobs and economic benefits are focused beyond the capital”.

The shortlisted towns and cities will enter a public competition later in May, with a public vote to decide the location of the new HQ.

The known contenders are Barrow; Carlisle; Crewe; Darlington; Derby; Doncaster; Eastleigh; Milton Keynes; Nottingham; Penrith; Peterborough; Southampton; Stockton; Swindon; Wakefield; York.