'Cancelling the second phase of HS2 would be a double blow for the North'

14 September 2023 , 17:50

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Rishi Sunak is reportedly poised to scrap the second stage of the HS2 rail project (Image: Handout)

Cancelling the second phase of HS2 would be a double blow for the North. As well as losing that link southwards – which in itself is a problem for connecting us to the Midlands or London – it would get rid of the most critical remaining section of the east-west Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

This key part of the route between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport is vital for getting passengers from Liverpool across the Pennines – and cancelling the Northern bit of HS2 would leave a giant hole right in the middle. HS2, which was designed to unite North and South, would end as a link between Ealing and Birmingham - the most expensive part of the entire scheme with the poorest value for money. It’s the definition of lose-lose.

Having promised this investment as Chancellor, I believe that the Prime Minister knows what damage this would do to his credibility, not just here in the UK but around the world. Which international investors would now trust us to keep a promise or rely on our ability to deliver tricky bits of infrastructure?

What about the fate of those businesses expecting to provide British-made steel for the project? What about their workers or those in the construction supply chain?

After years of work and preparation, not to mention the £2.3 billion we’ve already spent on planning and buying land for the Northern sections alone, to end up with nothing to show for it is almost unthinkable. It would be a betrayal that the Conservative Party may come to regret.

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Henri Murison