Labour responds to news the Conservatives will not reinstate permanent hard shoulders on smart motorways

“The Conservatives had a very straightforward choice to make and an opportunity to protect lives on smart motorways.

"Yet ministers appear to have decided to ignore the pleas of those who have already lost loved ones, and of the coroners who investigated their deaths.

"Labour will continue to press the Transport Secretary to reinstate the hard shoulder immediately while full safety reviews are undertaken and before more lives are lost."