READERS of The National will recognise Boris Johnson’s proposal for a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland – because the idea was first mooted in our pages.
Architect Alan Dunlop told us last year that the crossing would be possible – and our front page exclusive caused quite a stir, presumably eventually reaching the ears of the next prime minister.
READ MORE: Here's what Scots think about 'Boris bridge' proposals
But this isn’t the first time that Boris has tried to build a bridge. When he was London Mayor, he backed an idea from Joanna Lumley of building a flower-filled crossing from London’s South Bank to the Temple. It was to be the Garden Bridge. That project was scrapped after its estimated cost increased from £60 million to around £200m.
He first endorsed the “Celtic crossing” proposal at a Tory party hustings event in Northern Ireland last July, when he said: “I am an enthusiast for that idea, I’m going to put it out there. I think it’s a good idea, but again that is the kind of project that should be pursued by a dynamic Northern Ireland government championed by local people with local consent and interest, backed by local business and mobilised by the politicians in Northern Ireland.
“That’s what should happen. I’m all in favour of it but it’s got to be supported by people here in Northern Ireland.”
Channel 4 News reported it had seen documentation confirming that officials were considering the proposal.
A government spokesperson told the broadcaster: “This PM has made no secret of his support for infrastructure projects.”
However, SNP MP Hannah Bardell responded: “I wouldn’t frankly trust him to build a Lego bridge.”
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