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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Michael Savage

‘I’m not commenting on speculation’: Mark Harper refuses 10 times to answer questions on HS2

Mark Harper HS2 Transport
Transport Secretary Mark Harper during a visit to the site of the HS2 project in Birmingham.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper during a visit to the site of the HS2 project in Birmingham. Photograph: Jacob King/PA

Mark Harper is not the first cabinet minister to suffer a difficult early-morning interview, but the transport secretary seemed oddly blindsided by a quizzing about the future of HS2. No fewer than 12 times he dismissed the issue as “speculation”. If only there were a senior figure from the Department for Transport to clear things up? Here is an edited version of his awkward interview with the BBC Today Programme’s Mishal Husain:

Husain Has something changed on HS2 plans since the last update to parliament in June?

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