Ukip says £12m funding for high-speed rail link in South Thanet is bribe to sway voters before what is expected to be close election in seaside constituency

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The Conservatives have been accused of playing pork-barrel politics after it emerged that the Kent seat targeted by the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, is about to benefit from £12m of government funding for high-speed rail improvements.

The outgoing Tory MP for South Thanet, Laura Sandys, described it as a “huge win” for the area, claiming her party had fought tirelessly to secure cash for the improvements.

However, the Ukip leader claimed the funding would never have been awarded if he were not standing in the constituency in May, saying it “just goes to show what Ukip can do by bringing attention to an area”.

His claim comes on top of a review announced by the government into the future of Manston airport at a time when Farage has made a campaign against its closure a key part of his election campaign.

A Ukip aide said the rail cash was an attempt at a “£12m bribe to the voters of Thanet” and an example of pork-barrel politics, but that the party was confident voters would see through it.

The announcement has been made with just a few weeks to go before the government is barred from making any new funding pledges because of the election campaign.

Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) Tomorrow the govt will announce an extension of HS1 to Thanet. Great news which would never have happened if I weren't the candidate there!

The new rail funding will go towards improving the HS1 line from London through Kent, cutting around 10 minutes off commuting times to Ramsgate, which is in the constituency of South Thanet.



The Conservatives denied it had anything to do with central government, saying the government grant was not administered nationally but by Kent county council.

However, the election campaign has been dogged by claims that a wave of government money is going to Tory and Lib Dem areas or marginal seats.

In the autumn statement, George Osborne was accused of obviously courting potential Conservative voters as part of the government’s £15bn new road-building programme. This had benefits for those in many marginal constituencies, such as Nicola Blackwood, the Tory MP for West Oxford and Abingdon.

Improvements to flood protection in rural, mostly Conservative-voting areas of England, fell into the same category. This announcement included £17m for areas of Kent, and £73m for the Boston barrier, Lincolnshire, both of which are Tory areas under threat from Ukip.

Largely Labour-voting Humberside, one of the places most at risk from flooding, got £80m, far short of the £1bn that its local representatives said was required.

The fight for South Thanet is a three-way race between the Conservatives, Labour and Ukip. A recent poll funded by Ukip suggested Farage was some way ahead.