Rishi Sunak axes HS2 line from Birmingham to Manchester in betrayal of North

04 October 2023 , 11:24

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The HS2 project has been beset by delays and spiralling costs (Image: PA)

Rishi Sunak has axed the HS2 rail line from Birmingham to Manchester in a shameless betrayal of the North.

After weeks of dithering, the Prime Minister used a speech to Tory faithful in Manchester to confirm he was scrapping the northern leg of the high speed railway - in the city most impacted by the decision. He said the economic case for HS2 had changed since Covid, adding: “The facts have changed, and the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction.”

"I'm cancelling the rest of the HS2 project," he said, and vowed to reinvest the £36billion into other transport projects in the North and the Midlands under the name 'Network North'. Mr Sunak made a personal plea to Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to work with him on the project. The senior Tory, who had been mulling resigning over the decision, said he was "incredibly disappointed" but would remain a member.

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Dithering Rishi Sunak finally confirmed plans to axe the northern leg of the HS2 rail project (Getty Images)

The project has been beset by delays and ballooning costs, with the estimated price tag exceeding £100billion. Construction on the first phase from London to Birmingham is underway but the planned leg to Leeds has already been ditched, with the eastern spur set to end in the East Midlands.

Documents snapped by photographers outside Downing Street last month revealed the Prime Minister and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were in talks about scrapping the northern phase of HS2, despite already spending £2.3billion on the Birmingham-Manchester section. Ditching the project will save up to £36billion but the cash that's already been spent is unlikely to be recoverable.

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Mr Sunak announced that the first section of HS2 would run from London Euston to Birmingham. Construction had been paused between Euston and Old Oak Common, in west London, raising fears it would never reach the central London station. But he said the HS2 management would not be responsible for the Euston project, and the new plan would save £6.5billion.

"There must be some accountability for the mistakes made, for the mismanagement of this project," he said. "We will instead create a new Euston development zone building thousands of new homes for the next generation of homeowners, new business opportunities and a station that delivers the capacity we need."

The PM vowed to reinvest the "£36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, across the country". A further £12 billion will be set aside to improve rail journeys between Manchester and Liverpool, which was a project previously announced as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the decision to axe the northern leg of HS2 was a "colossal symbol of Conservative failure".

She said: "This staggering Tory fiasco has seen costs soar and the North and Midlands are left to pay the price. Only after 13 years of dismal failure could the Conservatives make the centrepiece of their conference a re-announcement of promises the Conservatives have made before.

"Is there anything more emblematic of 13 years of dismal failure by this broken Government than their flagship levelling-up project that fails to even reach the North? What started as a modern infrastructure plan left by the last Labour government has, after 13 years of incompetence, waste, and broken promises, become a colossal symbol of Conservative failure."

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, expressed horror at the move and said the delays and spiralling costs had been caused by the Government. “Today’s nuclear option is defeatist and sends a terrible signal to potential overseas investors that the UK simply cannot deliver large national transport infrastructure schemes," he said. "This also blows a hole in the Government’s levelling-up and decarbonisation agendas – none of the replacement regional schemes referred to will have the same impact of building the HS2 in full."

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “This is yet another betrayal of the North which will punish passengers and businesses alike. As we have found with this government, the devil is in the detail and we can’t take them at their word. Northern transport investment requires long-term planning and conversations with local leaders who know their areas best.”

Laurence Turner, GMB Head of Research and Policy, said: “Rishi Sunak’s decision to inflict the biggest rail cut since the Beeching axe will send a shockwave through the construction industry and railway supply chain, costing hundreds of jobs. The UK’s political instability was already holding the economy back - it will now be even harder to fund and deliver the new infrastructure that the country desperately needs.

“We can’t rebalance the economy or fix the railway capacity crisis without HS2. It’s essential that the planned route is now protected so that a future government can reverse this disastrous decision.”