Should Rishi Sunak have scrapped the Manchester leg of HS2 - vote in our poll

04 October 2023 , 13:24

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The northern leg of HS2 to Manchester has been axed (Image: Siemens/PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak has confirmed today that the northern leg of HS2 to Manchester has been scrapped, with the PM stating the “facts have changed” as he brought the chaotic Tory Party Conference to a close - and we want to know what YOU think.

The Prime Minister has instead decided to reallocate funds to other transport projects in the north, meaning the North West will no longer get a high speed rail connection to London. This comes after the Leeds leg had already been cancelled, and now all lines beyond Birmingham have been dismissed.

Speaking from the annual event in Manchester, the former Chancellor said: "I say, to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed. And the right thing to do when the facts change, is to have the courage to change direction. So I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project."

According to the PM, axing phase two to Manchester would free up £36bn, and "every single penny" would be spent on "hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, and across the country". Former prime ministers have previously criticised plans to ditch the leg of the high speed line, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson, as well as mayors of London and Greater Manchester, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham.

Recent polling has revealed that Mr Sunak faces a backlash from the public if he backtracks on plans for HS2 to go to North West England. A survey found almost three quarters (72%) of the public already think London and the South East get much more money spent on them than the rest of the UK.

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The feeling is even stronger in the northern half of England where 83% said this is what they believe. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) of UK adults agreed that a “failure to complete HS2 would be a failure to level up the rest of the UK”. West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said the decision is "yet another betrayal of the North which will punish passengers and businesses alike".

RMT chief Mick Lynch added: "The incompetence of successive Tory governments has now cost the taxpayer billions and led to this disastrous decision for Britain's economy, environment and our ailing transport infrastructure. High Speed rail together with a modern expanding public transport network is key to the future of linking every part of our country together, from north to south and East to West."

In 2015, the budget for the whole of HS2 was £55.7 billion, but reports have suggested costs have now surpassed £100 billion. Do you think the HS2 leg to Manchester should have been scrapped? Vote in our poll to have your say.

Freya Hodgson