Next boss calls for flyovers in capital

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise, the Next boss who has been so supportive of the government’s austerity measures, called for “a series of flyovers” to be built over central London to drive economic growth.

In an apparent volte-face, Lord Wolfson today called on the coalition to boost infrastructure and housing rather than focus on reducing the deficit. He claimed the Civil Service represented “powerful forces that oppose economic development”, citing officials’ “endemic lack of urgency” in solving the country’s problems.

Writing in The Times, Lord Wolfson said the flyovers could include a Southway, that would result in a drive from Croydon to Westminster taking 12 minutes. Similarly, he argued an Oxford-to-Cambridge motorway could create a Brain Belt that could rival Silicon Valley, while garden cities “replete with the sort of family homes and gardens that are beyond the reach of so many people working in London” could be built close to the capital.

However, he risks angering cash-strapped families through the suggestion that to pay for new houses and roads the public must stump up the money, such as through tolls.

He argues that this would be the only way to balance the government’s books and that this is only possible if the major political parties agree that charging the public is the only way to fund infrastructure.