In his closing speech to Conservative Party conference, Rishi Sunak ignores warnings from his party grandees, regional mayors and businesses, and axes phase two of the high speed rail line - but he promises to spend the cash on hundreds of other projects.
Rishi Sunak has confirmed the long-rumoured decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 - a decision former prime minister David Cameron branded"wrong".But the prime minister has spent days dodging the question, only making the announcement as he gave the closing speech to this year's Conservative Party conference.
The prime minister added:"I say, to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed."Mr Sunak said scrapping 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".
A year out from an election, these are long term plans that may never happen, if voters don't want to keep the Conservatives in the short term.Listing other transport pledges, Mr Sunak said he would"protect" the £12bn project to link Manchester and Liverpool, build a tram in Leeds and upgrade the A1, A2, A5 and the M6.
His concerns were echoed by regional leaders including Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who said the HS2 announcement was"no way to treat our city when they are in our city".
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