The decision on whether to scrap the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing scheme between Kent and Essex has been delayed until May 2025, the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed.

It said it needed “more time for the application to be considered” as part of a series of broader spending reviews around transport infrastructure that have been taking place since the Labour Party took power in July.

In September, campaigners urged the government to cancel £10.5bn in road projects and use the money to fund new rail and public transport projects.

Around £9bn of this was earmarked for the Lower Thames Crossing, with the remaining £1.5bn being saved by cutting the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine scheme.

First proposed in the late 2000s, the crossing is designed to relieve the pressure on the existing A282 Dartford Crossing.

But the Campaign for Better Transport recently argued that rather than basing the need for new road schemes on increasing capacity for heavy goods vehicles, the government should instead...