Philip Hammond pressed on rail plans during northern visit

Mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram urge chancellor to prioritise Crossrail for the North over Crossrail 2Philip Hammond has met regional leaders in the north of England as part of an attempt to prove that the government is committed to the so-called “northern powerhouse” project to close the north-south divide.But the chancellor was accused by some of those he met on his tour of failing to make any concrete promises. “In truth we didn’t see the colour of his money tod