Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss has outlined how she would boost East Anglia's economy if she becomes prime minister - including a pledge to "look closely" at dualling the whole of the A47.
Ms Truss said a transport secretary in her government would also consider commitments to the £251m Norwich Western Link Road and improving the Ely railway junction.
On the eve of a Norwich hustings, where she will try to convince Conservative members that she should be the party's next leader, Ms Truss stated how she would will help the region's economy.
She said there would be tax cuts, supply side reform, better regulation and targeted Investment Zones to drive business growth.
It came as a group of business leaders called on Ms Truss and her leadership rival Rishi Sunak to make sure the East realises its significant potential.
The members of the Eastern Powerhouse, including chief executives at Lotus and Adnams, called for:
- Commitment to rail network upgrades in the East, including investment in the Ely North junction - where bottlenecks regularly slow train services. Concerns have been raised that the Department for Transport might have cooled on funding improvements.
- A coherent, joined-up energy plan. The Eastern Powerhouse says the East is the only region to have oil, gas, solar, wind and nuclear, and a co-ordinated plan for that is needed.
- A ‘life sciences’ strategy for the East. The powerhouse says the region has some of Europe's most successful science and tech clusters. Linking them together and better investment could create a "Silicon East', the group says.
South West Norfolk MP Ms Truss said she would support key sectors such as life sciences and the digital creative industry in Norwich, bringing jobs to the region.
She said her transport secretary would look closely at dualling the whole of the A47, as well as schemes such as the Norwich Western Link Road and the Ely Rail Junction.
Ms Truss pledged to boost farmers by "unshackling" them from European Union red tape, reform Treasury investment rules, and scrap what she described as "Soviet-style" top-down housing targets.
She said: "I have been lucky enough to be the MP for an East Anglian seat for 12 years, and in that time I have gained a strong understanding of the region and its strengths, but also the challenges it faces.
“If elected prime minister, I will turbocharge the economies of places like Norwich, Great Yarmouth and across East Anglia by unleashing the private sector with tax cuts and better regulation, cracking down on strike action slowing our economy, and repealing the EU regulations that do not work for our rural communities.
“I was personally elected to level up South West Norfolk in 2019. As prime minister, I will ensure we deliver on that promise, not just for my patch but for the whole of East Anglia, and boost opportunity across the region.”
Her pledges came as 14 leading businesses wrote to the Tory leadership candidates with a plea to level-up the region.
The businesses - founder members of the Eastern Powerhouse launched earlier this year to drive investment in the region - called for improved transport links, diversified energy supply and for the region's life sciences to be championed by the new government.
The letter highlights how the East receives 40pc less levelling-up funding than other regions and a lower overall share of public investment - and calls for that to change.
Eastern Powerhouse chairman James Palmer, former Conservative mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "The huge disparity in UK regional investment is not the result of a needs-based allocation of funds, nor is it assigned based on expected return on investment.
"This is why the East is so often left out of the funding party, despite the considerable benefits that would accrue for the whole UK if the gap were closed.
"The members' message to the candidates is therefore simple: properly invest in the East as prime minister, and it will pay dividends in terms of all your other levelling up plans."
The hustings will take place in Norwich on Thursday. They are the penultimate hustings before the deadline for Conservatives to vote for a new leader.
The victor will be confirmed as Boris Johnson's successor as prime minister on September 5.
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