The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said that it is “absolutely right” that the government is looking into the possibility of the bridge.
Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, confirmed that the UK government is revisiting the idea of a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, describing it as an “exciting project”.
Speaking to Sky News, Lewis said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is very much in favour of the idea, and that, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, connectivity is more important than ever.
He said: “The M25 wasn’t a straightforward thing, but nobody could imagine life around London without it now.
“I think it is the right thing to do and it could be fantastic for connectivity.”
Boris Johnson has been pushing the idea of a bridge between the two islands for some time and was quoted in 2019 as saying: “What we need to do is build a bridge between our islands. Why don’t we? Why don’t we?” in 2019.
Leo Varadkar also entertained the idea of the bridge while he was Taoiseach, saying last year: “I know people dismiss it, but I don’t. It needs to be looked at. It needs to be at least examined.
“I’ve seen what the Chinese have got… 100km-long bridges. I don’t know if it is viable but I also don’t think it should be dismissed out of hand and I know he (Boris Johnson) is particularly excited about that one.”
Johnson has said in the past that the project would cost an estimated £15 billion.
You can listen to Brandon Lewis speaking to Kay Burley of Sky News on the bridge below:
“More connectivity is good for the UK as a whole.”
Govt minister @BrandonLewis says that a bridge connecting Scotland and Northern Ireland could create jobs and be good for the UK economy.#KayBurley
Get more on this story here: https://t.co/sDthPIGZwF pic.twitter.com/MyKfKDKCWq— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 23, 2020
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