Transport Insights

The government seems to have dug itself into a very big hole in an attempt to bury the outline business case (OBC) for the Lower Thames Crossing, a document that was the basis for a decision to take total public funding for the “privately-funded” tunnel to £3.1bn.

As I reported last month:

A new report from the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) has shown how the Department for Transport is playing fast and loose with public money over the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) – and basically lying to avoid releasing the mega-project’s business case.

This relates to a Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulations request for the OBC from Becca Lush of Transport Action network, which the DfT refused on the grounds that the document was “in draft”.

Lush had already sought an internal review of this claim when I pointed out that:

…the confirmation (again) that “The Outline Business Case was updated and approved by the DfT Investment Committee in October 2025” means that this is wholly untrue. Approval by the investment committee means the business case has been fully adopted – and acted on. The committee does not do this with draft business cases.

The Department for Transport (DfT) told Lush a month ago:

we require more time to fully look into the issues you raised and must extend the time to respond by a further 20 working days

As she pointed out last week:

This expired on 10 August. The DfT is now another 10 days over its extension.

It’s now a full two weeks over its own extension. Presumably there is no good answer.

Lush has set this all out in a blog post, in which she details:

The Smoking Gun: A Paper Trail of Lies

and

Why the Cover-Up Matters

And declares:

The Fight for Transparency Continues

Democracy functions on the fundamental principle that the public has a right to see the evidence underlying monumental spending decisions.

TAN refuses to accept this state-sponsored gaslighting. We are challenging the DfT’s unlawful non-disclosure and will escalate to the Information Commissioner’s Office if necessary. The government cannot spend £3.1 billion of our money on a climate-wrecking Smart Motorway while hiding the paperwork. It is time for the DfT to end the deception and release the Lower Thames Crossing’s Outline Business Case immediately. Public funds should serve the public good, and we have a right to know how our money is spent.

I was wondering whether the government should bring in some law to enshrine a duty of candour and stop its officials gaslighting the public. Just a thought.