Rishi Sunak is facing criticism from two former Conservative Prime Ministers amid speculation he is about to axe the high-speed rail project beyond Birmingham
The former Prime Ministers have intervened amid widespread speculation that the Government is set to axe both Phase 2a and Phase 2b of the high-speed rail project due to spiralling costs.
“We need to connect the Midlands with the north with HS2 because that is the way to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail. And it makes no sense for HS2 to terminate at Old Oak Common rather than Euston.“It is no wonder that Chinese universities teach the constant cancellation of UK infrastructure as an example of what is wrong with democracy.”Delivering HS2 between London and the north has been a commitment of both major parties for almost 15 years.
Mr Sunak has refused to guarantee it will reach Manchester despite £2.3 billion having already been ploughed into stage two of the national line. A budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015 but some reports suggest the bill has surpassed £100 billion, having been driven up by recent inflation.An artist’s representation of what new HS2 trains could look like
Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced that work at Euston would be paused for two years as costs were forecast to almost double to £4.8 billion.
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