Contractors have reacted furiously to reports that ministers are considering cancelling the second phase of HS2, which is due to take the high speed rail line to Manchester.
The Independent said it had seen a cost estimate that while the Government has already spent or committed £2.3bn of unrecoverable costs on Phase 2, shelving it would save up to £34bn.
It said the issue was discussed at a meeting between prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday and that it understands that talks are ongoing.
The online paper subsequently reported that on Thursday the prime minister’s official spokesman would not promise that the line would go to Manchester.
Ministers have already decided that the Eastern Leg of the Phase 2b will not extend to Leeds.
It’s coming up 10 years since Osborne’s “Northern Powerhouse” speech and the Tories are set to scrap the last of his rail pledges.
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) September 14, 2023
The result?
The southern half of England gets a modern rail system and the North left with Victorian infrastructure.
Levelling up?
My a**e.
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