The Liberal Democrats have pledged to make infrastructure improvements that will turn the north of England into an economic powerhouse.

Nick Clegg, the party's leader, has announced plans to implement the 'One North' programme developed by northern cities to boost growth in the region, saying it will feature prominently in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

Infrastructure improvements that feature in the scheme include a new 125mph trans-Pennine rail route connecting Greater Manchester to the eastern leg of HS2 between Leeds and Sheffield.

In addition, the M62, M60, M56, M6 and M61 motorways would be expanded, while the existing trans-Pennine line would be electrified and upgrades made to the northern section of the East Coast mainline.

"To build strong and powerful regions not only do we need to devolve power and money, we need to make sure that they have the infrastructure they need," Mr Clegg stated.