A campaign calling on George Osborne to reverse the decision not to electrify a key rail link between two northern cities has been launched by a regional daily.

The Manchester Evening News has set up a petition calling on the Chancellor to get the scheme between Manchester and Leeds back on track in his Budget statement tomorrow.

The new campaign is known as ‘Stop the #NorthernPowercut’ – a reference to the government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ initiative.

It comes just two weeks after MEN editor Rob Irvine told the Society of Editors regional seminar that Mr Osborne was “no friend of Manchester in (his) experience”, during a debate on devolution.

The MEN launched the campaign on the front page of Friday’s edition, pictured above.

The paper wants Mr Osborne to make a firm commitment to completing the project as planned after the announcement last Month that it was being shelved.

It is also demanding that the Crossrail 2 project in London won’t take priority over the scheme.

Among the MPs supporting the campaign are Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham, who says he is throwing his “full weight” behind the campaign, and Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, has added his support.

In a piece explaining the campaign, Rob said: “The devolution of power to Manchester and the commitment to create a Northern Powerhouse together represent an opportunity for a fundamental shift in the way our country is run.

“But without the actions to back the fine words, it could all be just empty talk.

“The great towns and cities of the North of England need to have the kind of support and investment that London and the South East have benefited from.

“That is why it is essential George Osborne gets this project back on track – and quickly.”