内容摘要：The grant will help restore the coal and wash sheds and pay towards a small archaeological dig in the south courtyard.

The grant will help restore the coal and wash sheds and pay towards a small archaeological dig in the south courtyard.

Conservative mayor of Tees Valley Ben Houchen said Labour's decision meant projects in his area had been delayed by a year which was "frustrating" but added that he was "absolutely delighted" the funding had now been given the go ahead.North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said the £1.8bn funding for her area was a "game changer", while Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said the investment was a "massive vote of confidence in our region".

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper warned the chancellor must now deliver, because "these communities have heard these same promises before, only to be left with phantom transport networks".She added: "Extra investment in public transport must also focus on cutting fares for hard-pressed families being clobbered by a cost of living crisis."Zoe Billingham, head of the IPPR North think tank, welcomed the investment but said that while money had been provided to lay the tracks there was "still a question about the ongoing running costs" and the extent to which the new transport networks would pay for themselves.

Following the speech Reeves was asked if there would be funding for a new rail link between Manchester and Liverpool.She replied that there would be "more to come next week" when she delivers her Spending Review.

Reeves' £15.6bn regional transport announcements are part of a five-year funding allocation from 2027/28 to 2031/32, which a Treasury spokesman confirmed would double the current £1.14bn spending allocation for 2024-25 to £2.9bn by 2029-30.

to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.The grim procedure of winding down the business took over as passwords and laptops were collected while servers were backed up in case "some future incarnation of the business can be preserved".

The company had been going in various guises for 35 years. "We didn't want it to go to rust. I expect the administrator will look for a buyer for the intellectual property assets," Mr Dissel adds.Other former employees also hold out for a phoenix rising from the ashes. But the Valley of Death looms large.

"Reaction Engines was playing at the very edge of what was possible. We were working for the fastest engines and highest temperatures. We bit off the hard job," says Mr Dissel.Despite all this Mr Varvill's own epitaph for the business overshadows technological milestones. "We failed because we ran out of money."