The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said connecting the North’s major cities will be a number one priority for the new National Infrastructure Commission. He chose York’s National Railway Museum to launch the new Commission and said that it would be tasked with creating a long term plan for the future to help build the Northern Powerhouse. He told the audience, which included Kevin Hollinrake MP, that it had taken 1hr 50 minutes to travel from London to York and it would take the same time to travel from York to Liverpool even though it is half the distance.