The Hammersmith Bridge – closed to traffic for over six years – continues to be politically untouchable, as even a Treasury minister tasked with announcing £1bn to fix broken bridges refused to confirm if it’s included.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury – also known as the City Minister – Emma Reynolds appeared on LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Monday to promote the government’s infrastructure plan, which includes a £1bn “Structures Fund” to repair thousands of weak bridges.
But when Ferrari pressed her on whether a penny of that would go towards reopening Hammersmith Bridge, she dodged the question again and again – despite acknowledging that 3,000 UK bridges can’t carry heavy traffic, and that the new fund is meant to address that very issue.
“When will the Hammersmith Bridge problem be resolved?” Ferrari asked.
“I’m not here to talk about the Hammersmith Bridge. I’m not a transport minister,” Reynolds replied.
That prompted disbelief from the host:
“But you’re talking about infrastructure. Sorry – I thought we just talked about 3,000 bridges that are unable to support the heaviest vehicles. Hammersmith Bridge is one of the key bridges that can’t support any vehicles, let alone the heaviest.”
Reynolds admitted:
“I don’t have the detail of the Hammersmith Bridge,” adding later: “I can’t name every one of the 200 bridges…”
Ferrari hit back:
“Respectfully, I’ve not asked for that, have I, Secretary? I’ve just asked: Can you confirm that it’s going to get some of the funds from this one billion pounds?”
Reynolds would not say.
“You don’t know where it starts, where it ends, or how much it costs”
The rest of the interview fared no better. Reynolds, a senior Treasury minister, couldn’t say where the government’s flagship £10bn Lower Thames Crossing begins or ends. Nor could she accurately say how much it will cost — or even get the name of the Dartford Tunnel right.
“So the crossing that you’re talking about — you don’t know where it is?” asked Ferrari.
“Well… it’s… you’ll forgive me. I can’t recall the exact landing zones,” Reynolds admitted.
She repeatedly said the project would cost “several billion”, until Ferrari corrected her: “It’s ten billion, to put you out of your misery. It’s not several, it’s ten.”
“Is there much point in continuing this conversation?” Ferrari asked at one point.
Hammersmith: the bridge no minister will touch
The most striking moment came when the conversation circled back to Hammersmith Bridge, a major London crossing that once carried 22,000 vehicles a day but has been shut to all but pedestrians and cyclists since 2019.
Despite the government launching a plan specifically to repair structurally unsound bridges, Reynolds could not – or would not – say whether the money includes support for Hammersmith.
And she’s not alone. There has been total political silence from Labour representatives too:
- Putney MP Fleur Anderson has not raised the bridge in Parliament in over 18 months.
- Wandsworth Council, under Labour control, has offered no leadership on cross-river transport issues.
- GLA Labour Assembly Members have sidestepped the bridge in City Hall debates.
- Now, even a Treasury minister discussing bridges refuses to touch the topic.
One voice speaking up – and it’s not Putney’s
The only elected representative who has raised the alarm recently is Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney – a Liberal Democrat – who directly challenged the Chancellor in Parliament last week about the future of Hammersmith Bridge and the ongoing disruption to communities in Putney, Barnes and Hammersmith.
As reported yesterday, Olney stood up in the Commons to demand answers about both Hammersmith Bridge highlighting its crucial role in west London’s transport network and criticising the government’s failure to act.
Her intervention only underscored the deafening silence from Labour representatives, and the sense that even with a new government and new funding – nothing is changing for Hammersmith Bridge.
