Today the government announced a £6.1 billion programme of road improvements as part of a £23bn upgrade to England's road network. This includes cash for improvements to the A12 from Essex into London, a road that starts just north of the Blackwall tunnel and which includes the notorious Gallows Corner in our constituency.

The state of our roads is consistently raised as a problem with me by local residents, so I welcome the government’s latest step to invest in the future of the network, particularly as Gallows Corner is prone to the kind of jams that can have a major impact on the flow of traffic in the wider area.Today’s announcement shows that we are delivering on our commitment to invest in infrastructure to attract businesses and fix pinch points – opening up opportunities for local growth, creating smoother journeys, improving safety and reducing air pollution.

I’ll be making the case to the Transport Secretary to ensure we get our share of the funding locally and working with Assembly Member, Keith Prince, in pressing Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to do his bit as well by acting on the TfL study into road safety at the junction.

The Transport Investment Strategy sets out a new long-term approach for government infrastructure spending – meaning cash will be targeted at projects that help rebalance the economy.  And it features the proposed creation of a new Major Road Network, which would see a share of the annual National Road Fund, funded by Vehicle Excise Duty – which restores the link between the amount that people pay in car tax and the amount spent on roads – to end the disparity between Britain’s motorways and local A roads.