Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2, the high-speed rail project linking Birmingham to Manchester, sparking outrage from northern leaders, business chiefs, and senior Conservatives. The announcement was made during his speech at the Conservative Party conference, weeks after The Independent first revealed the plan.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron criticised the decision, stating it had “thrown away fifteen years of cross-party consensus” and would make future infrastructure projects more difficult. Conservative West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who considered resigning, expressed disappointment but described the retention of the HS2 link to Euston as a “good compromise”.
Mr Sunak pledged to reinvest £36bn saved from the project into hundreds of alternative transport schemes across the North and Midlands, including road upgrades, electrification of the North Wales mainline, a new station in Bradford, and a tram for Leeds. However, transport sources warned these projects could be years or decades away.
Labour mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham condemned the decision, saying it “cannot be right” to scrap the northern leg, and accused the government of failing to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail. Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig described much of the replacement funding as “rehashed”.
Mr Sunak challenged Labour to state whether they would cancel his new projects to revive HS2, saying those who disagree should admit they would be “cancelling the hundreds of alternative projects”. The prime minister blamed ballooning costs for the decision, stating “the facts have changed”.
