Boris Johnson will reinstate local railway lines axed under the Beeching cuts in the 1960s as part of a package of measures to rejuvenate provincial towns.

The Conservatives will make a manifesto pledge to spend £500 million opening branch lines that closed more than 50 years ago, starting with routes in the north of England.

Writing in The Telegraph, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps promises the plan will: "Banish the shadow of Beeching and restore those connections which made our country great and brought our people together."

The Tories will also promise to cut business rates in half for smaller pubs, shops and cinemas as part of a concerted effort to save the nation’s high streets.

Mr Johnson believes that part of the reason for the 2016 Leave vote was that “too many towns and villages across Britain have been overlooked and left behind” and he wants the communities to feel a direct benefit from Brexit.