The transport secretary has been told the future of the Lower Thames Crossing project is vital and urgently needed to reduce congestion.

Ahead of tomorrow's Autumn Statement announcement, Dartford MP Gareth Johnson has again met with the new transport secretary Mark Harper – the second time since he was appointed – to press the importance of the new £8.2 billion crossing for the town and his constituency.

It comes ahead of a key day in the government's spending plans with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt due to present a wave of austerity measures in the House of Commons tomorrow to trim £60bn.

Among spending areas feared to be at risk of the chop are capital infrastructure projects like the Lower Thames Crossing but no official announcement has been made.

Mr Johnson, who said he's also met with Treasury ministers, said today: "Plans for the Lower Thames Crossing have been years in the making and it is urgently needed to help the traffic problems in Dartford.

"I know the government is looking to tackle the country’s debt, but we must continue with this project.

"I have also met with Treasury Ministers to let them know the importance of the new crossing and I have further meetings soon."

Mr Johnson added: "The traffic at the Dartford Crossing causes misery for our town every day and the crossing has been running over capacity for years.

"At the moment, if there is a problem at the Dartford Crossing, there is no alternative, that is why the Lower Thames Crossing is essential.

"Dartford and the whole of the UK will benefit from the Lower Thames Crossing and work to start building it can’t come soon enough."

But his Conservative colleague across the Thames in Thurrock, Jackie Doyle-Price has also told Mr Harper the proposal is "past its sell by date" and the whole project should be "ripped up and start again".

She said: "What we have before us now is an M25 bypass for Dover HGV traffic. There is no advantage for our Port sector under this current design.

"It is 15 years since the government started to consult on this route. Much has changed in that period. Most notably Brexit.

"Brexit has totally transformed the economics of Port activity. It has removed Dover’s competitive advantage over other Ports. It is why Tilbury 2 opened to take new European port traffic.

"When the circumstances change then decisions should be revisited.

"I fully support the need for more crossings across the Thames but I am afraid that this particular proposal has now gone past it’s sell by date. It will no longer deliver the benefits intended. We should, in short, rip it up and start again."

A Development Consent Order for the new crossing was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on October 31.

The Planning Inspectorate has until November 28 to decide whether the application is accepted for examination.

If accepted, the project will move to the next stage of the planning process.