Defence secretary Grant Shapps questions cost of HS2
Rishi Sunak has insisted he is committed to levelling up despite again failing to confirm that the northern leg of HS2 rail project will go ahead.
The prime minister refused to comment on what he described as “speculation” about part of the line being axed.The Independent first revealed two weeks ago that Mr Sunak was considering scrapping plans for the high-speed rail network between Birmingham and Manchester over concerns about its spiralling cost.
Speaking today on a visit to a community centre in Hertfordshire, the PM said: “What I would say is we’re absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the North but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country.”
Earlier, Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham warned that ditching the northern phase of HS2 would be a disaster of “epic proportions” for the region.
An announcement is expected before the Tory Party conference in Manchester next weekend and The Independent understands the northern phase of HS2 could be delayed by up to seven years as part of a bid to scrap the project in the long-term.
