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’

Defence secretary Grant Shapps questions cost of HS2

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.

HS2 - 26/09/2023

• Sunak: I won’t speculate on future of HS2
• Burnham: Scrapping HS2 would be a disaster for north of England
• Northern phase to be delayed for 7 years
• Sunak reportedly mulling plans to axe HS2

[25 September 2023 10:27 · Matt Mathers]

No decision has been made on HS2 - minister

No decision has been made on whether to cut the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 following a “regrettable” rise in costs of the rail project, according to a Government minister.

Housing minister Rachel Maclean told LBC: “There is no decision to stop it yet, but it is right that we look at patterns of travel.

“There is investment going into railways, we’ve put investment into buses across the country — connectivity is vitally important to grow the economy, so we have to look at the priorities across the whole of the demands on transport more broadly, and of course the road network is important in this.”

Ms Maclean added: “There is speculation and I know the prime minister and the chancellor are looking at this. It is right that they are looking at it. It is a project that has ballooned in cost.”

Rachel Maclean (UK Parliament/PA) (PA Media)

[25 September 2023 10:24 · Matt Mathers]

Burnham: Scrapping project will leave north with ‘Victorian’ infrastructure for rest of century

As we’ve been reporting, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burham has urged the PM not to scrap plans for the northern leg of HS2.

Here are more of his comments to the Today programme earlier this morning:

“Scrapping HS2 rips the heart out of northern powerhouse rail.

“It would leave the north of England with Victorian infrastructure, probably for the rest of this century.

“And if we’re trapped with that old infrastructure and the southern half of the country has new lines that is a recipe for the north-south divide to become a north-south chasm, the very opposite of the levelling up that we were promised in this parliament.”

(BBC)

[25 September 2023 10:14 · Matt Mathers]

Northern phase to be delayed by seven years

Rishi Sunak is set to delay the northern phase of HS2 by up to seven years as part of a bid to scrap the project in the long term, The Independent understands.

The prime minister will this week decide the fate of the high-speed rail project, with an announcement expected before the Tory conference in Manchester next weekend.

Ministers are expected to say that work on the railway north of Birmingham will be delayed in order to move costs into a future parliament – kicking the project into the long grass.

Jon Stone reports:

[25 September 2023 10:12 · Matt Mathers]

The Independent revealed on 14 September that Mr Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, were in discussions about scrapping the second stage of HS2 amid spiralling costs and severe delays.

A cost estimate, seen by The Independent, reveals that the government has already spent £2.3bn on stage two of the high-speed railway from Birmingham to Manchester but shelving the northern phase would save up to £34bn.

You can read the full original report here:

[25 September 2023 10:06 · Matt Mathers]

Recap: What is HS2, where will it go and when will it be completed?

All the noise coming from Downing Street suggests that Rishi Sunak is about to perform a major U-turn by scrapping the northern leg of the HS2 rail project, linking London to the north of England.

But what exactly is HS2, where will it go and when is it due to be completed?

Jane Dalton and Simon Calder have this handy explainer to get you up to speed.

[25 September 2023 09:57 · Matt Mathers]

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the HS2 rail project.

Rishi Sunak is said to be considering plans to scrap the northern leg of the high speed rail network over concerns about its cost.

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said doing so would be a disaster of “epic proportions” for the region.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on this story.