HS2 news - live: Sunak insists he’s committed to levelling up as rail backlash grows
Rishi Sunak says his government is committed to ‘spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the North but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country’
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Rishi Sunak has insisted he is committed to levelling up despite again failing to confirm that the northern leg of HS2 rail project will go ahead.
The prime minister refused to comment on what he described as “speculation” about part of the line being axed.The Independent first revealed two weeks ago that Mr Sunak was considering scrapping plans for the high-speed rail network between Birmingham and Manchester over concerns about its spiralling cost.
Speaking today on a visit to a community centre in Hertfordshire, the PM said: “What I would say is we’re absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the North but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country.”
Earlier, Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham warned that ditching the northern phase of HS2 would be a disaster of “epic proportions” for the region.
An announcement is expected before the Tory Party conference in Manchester next weekend and The Independent understands the northern phase of HS2 could be delayed by up to seven years as part of a bid to scrap the project in the long-term.
How The Independent revealed Sunak’s plan to cut HS2 - and how the government reacted
On Wednesday 13 September, TheIndependent revealed top-level talks were taking place between Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt about whether to scrap parts of the high-speed rail project HS2.
The much-delayed and overbudget scheme is for a rail line linking some of the country’s largest cities, intended to connect London, the Midlands and the north of England, with construction split into three phases.
Downing Street was evasive when approached for comment – but refused to deny discussions were taking place. Our story even appeared to be news to HS2’s project managers, as well as the Department for Transport.
Read more about the story here:
How The Independent revealed Sunak’s plan to cut HS2 - and how the government reacted
The Independent’s revelations about HS2 rocked Westminster
Scrapping second phase of HS2 would be ‘total waste’ of money, business chiefs warn
Downing Street is facing backlash after The Independent revealed the prime minister was in secret talks with his chancellor Jeremy Hunt – dubbed Project Redwood – to scrap the second phase of the HS2 project.
Mr Sunak and Mr Hunt are understood to have been considering whether HS2 north of Birmingham could be delayed for up to seven years in order to move costs into a future parliament – kicking phase 2 into the long grass.
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the chaos around HS2 makes him “want to weep” and a truncated project will be a “total waste” of money.
Meanwhile, dozens of leading businesses chiefs – including the heads of Manchester Airports Group and Virgin Money –signed a letter to the government urging HS2 to be built in full. A group of 10 vice-chancellors of universities in the West Midlands has also called on Mr Sunak to commit to high-speed rail.
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), said: “The government has heard the voice of business and northern mayors – it’s time to listen.”
No 10 repeatedly declined to comment on speculation about the future of HS2 on Monday – but pointed out that there was precedent for delaying parts of HS2 due to “affordability”.
Cabinet split over Sunak’s HS2 ‘gross act of vandalism’
A major cabinet split has opened up over Rishi Sunak’s plan to ditch the northern leg of HS2, as top Tory grandees join ministers in pushing the prime minister to re-think the cancellation.
The Independent understands levelling up secretary Michael Gove and transport secretary Mark Harper are “very unhappy” about the prime minister’s plot to axe the route from Birmingham to Manchester.
A source close to government discussions on HS2 told The Independent: “The PM and chancellor have opened up a big rift in the Tory party. There are significant figures in cabinet who are opposed [to ditching HS2]. Michael Gove and Mark Harper are very unhappy.”
A source close to Mr Gove said they did not “recognise” the idea of a cabinet rift, while a source close to Mr Harper said the claim was “completely untrue”.
Adam Forrest reports:
Cabinet split over Sunak’s HS2 ‘gross act of vandalism’
Exclusive: Levelling up secretary Michael Gove and transport secretary Mark Harper ‘very unhappy’ over plan to axe northern leg – first revealed by this newspaper – as George Osborne attacks ‘economic self-harm’
Key dates of the HS2 rail project
Read a timeline of key events in the HS2 rail project:
Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2
Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure from senior Tories not to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 rail line ahead of the party’s conference in the city.
The Independent understands the prime minister is set to delay the Birmingham to Manchester high-speed line by up to seven years as part of a bid to ditch the project in the long term.
Former chancellor George Osborne and ex-deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine warned that axing the route to Manchester would be a “gross act of vandalism” which would mean “abandoning” the north and Midlands.
Adam Forrest reports:
Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2
PM in crisis as top Conservative revolt over plan to scrap northern leg grows
Rail experts say downscaling HS2 would be ‘commercial and operational mess’
Downscaling HS2 would create “a commercial and operational mess”, industry experts have warned.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are reported to be meeting to discuss the future of the high-speed rail project in the coming days.
There is speculation the leg from Birmingham to Manchester will be cancelled or delayed while Euston will be axed, both in response to soaring costs.
Neil Lancefield reports:
Rail experts say downscaling HS2 would be ‘commercial and operational mess’
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are reported to be meeting to discuss the future of the project in the coming days.
Watch: Andy Burnham makes HS2 plea to Rishi Sunak
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged Rishi Sunak to avoid scrapping HS2.
He warned that the decision would leave the north of England with “Victorian infrastructure”.
Speaking on Monday morning, Mr Burnham questioned why those living in the region are treated as “second-class citizens”.
Lib Dems pile pressure on Sunak over HS2
The Liberal Democrats have used their annual gathering in Bournemouth to pile fresh pressure on the Conservatives over HS2. Peer Jenny Randerson told the Lib Dem conference her party wants HS2 to go “the full way”.
Baroness Randerson, the party’s spokesman on transport in the House of Lords, said: “We have supported HS2 from the start and want it to go the full way.
“The shorter it becomes, the more it costs per mile and the less there is any point in it. It needs to be delivered throughout, forget all this truncating, let’s go back to what it was planned from the start.
“As part of that, you have to get the cost back under control. One of the reasons it is totally out of control is because we keep stopping and starting, and you have this added uncertainty.”
She said cities such as Manchester have attracted investment “possibly on false pretences” if the link does not go ahead. “Can you imagine what that does to our reputation as a nation for the future?” she added.
“We are now the nation that cannot build a railway, when we invented the railway,” she said.
HS2 says work in Buckinghamshire is bringing ‘real benefits to passengers today’
A multi-million pound project to enable HS2 trains to run under an existing rail line will bring immediate benefits to passengers, HS2 and Network Rail said.
More than one mile of a branch line in Buckinghamshire between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough is being realigned, including with the construction of a new bridge.
This will enable HS2 trains running between London and Birmingham to pass beneath. Neil Lancefield reports:
HS2 says work in Buckinghamshire is bringing ‘real benefits to passengers today’
More than one mile of a branch line in Buckinghamshire between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough is being realigned.
Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2
Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure from senior Tories not to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 rail line ahead of the party’s conference in Manchester, Adam Forrest reports.
The Independent understands the prime minister is set to delay the Birmingham to Manchester high-speed line by up to seven years as part of a bid to ditch the project in the long term.
Former chancellor George Osborne and ex-deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine warned that axing the route to Manchester would be a “gross act of vandalism” which would mean “abandoning” the north and Midlands.
Full report:
Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2
PM in crisis as top Conservative revolt over plan to scrap northern leg grows
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