ROSSENDALE and Darwen MP Jake Berry has revealed he and his wife Alice are expecting their third child.

The Northern Powerhouse minister was in Burnley and Bury last week to promote the government’s agenda for the region.

Mr Berry promised a special government rail fund could be ideal to pay for re-opening the Colne to Skipton line and a route from Rossendale to Manchester.

He also visited Turf Moor with new Tory MP Antony Higginbotham to look at Burnley FC’s work in the community.

Mr Berry told the Lancashire Telegraph: “We’re expecting our third baby, due to come in very early February but who knows when they arrive. We don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy but it will mean we have three under three.

“We’ve currently got two boys and we’re just really pleased about it.

“I want a happy and healthy child. Actually I think I would quite like a girl. There’s something very special about the relationship between a father and his daughter but we’ll be happy with whatever we get.”

On a new Rossendale/Manchester rail link and reinstating the Colne/Skipton line, Mr Berry said: “We announced during the General Election a £0.5billion Beeching Reversal Fund.

“That could almost have been designed for those specific schemes.”

Mr Berry said his ambition was to bring full devolution of powers, cash and investment from London to the region adding: “The best ideas for the north don’t come from the south.”

Asked if he would resign if Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to deliver on the Northern Powerhouse, Mr Berry said: “It’s a really good question but I don’t start from the premise that we won’t deliver because I’m absolutely certain that all of the things we have set out we will deliver.

“What I want to focus on over the coming months is how we can make devolution work for Lancashire."

On the Burnley trip he said: “I am going to Turf Moor with Mr Higginbotham to look at the Burnley FC educational hub that they have and really looking at the extraordinary contribution having a Premier League football club can make to the wider economy.

“Burnley is playing its part and during the General Election the famous phrase was that the Conservatives managed to turn Redcar into ‘Bluecar’. It would be much better if we said our victory turned The Clarets blue.”