Rishi Sunak has refused more than a dozen times to provide clarity over HS2’s future, but denied that scrapping the Birmingham to Manchester leg would be a betrayal of the north of England.
Despite two weeks of uncertainty over the remainder of the project, the prime minister remained tight-lipped on whether HS2 would be pared back in a series of BBC local radio interviews spanning stations from Shropshire to Teesside.
He is understood to have raised significant concerns about HS2’s cost, but faced a barrage of lobbying from Tory former prime ministers and chancellors to push ahead with the plan to level up the country and deliver improvements to rail capacity.
Asked by BBC Radio Manchester’s Anna Jameson if the northern leg of HS2 could be axed, Sunak said: “I’m not speculating on future things.”
He tried to pivot away from the subject, telling her that “the vast majority of the journeys that people make are in their cars”.
Another attempt made by Sunak to deflect from the future of HS2 was to say there were “already spades in the ground” for the first phase, connecting Birmingham to London.
However, there was no such certainty offered by Sunak about phase 2, which would connect Manchester and Birmingham cvia Crewe. “I know there’s a lot of speculation on this,” said Sunak. “It’s always right that the government is looking at things to make sure we are doing things in a way that creates value for money.”
He said the government was focused on improving other transport issues such as potholes and local bus routes in rural areas.
Asked by Joanita Musisi on BBC Radio York whether scrapping phase 2 of HS2 would be a betrayal of the north of England, Sunak said: “No. I think what people will see … is we’re investing record amounts in improving infrastructure but also improving levelling up.”
Sunak denied that the future of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) would be affected. The NPR project is designed to improve east-west connections across the Pennines, speeding up rail journeys between Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.
However, supporters of the plan fear that curtailing HS2 could have a bigger impact, because NPR will rely on a section of the HS2 line from Manchester airport to Manchester Piccadilly, and benefit from upgrades to Manchester Piccadilly station.
“I do think they’re two quite different things,” Sunak told Jameson. He added he knew connectivity across the Pennines was “not good enough” and that “all the way across the north” there should be improved rail infrastructure.
Sunak’s equivocating threatens to deepen the row among senior Tories over HS2’s future, with supporters and critics piling pressure on the prime minister to make a decision.
Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley mayor, on Thursday called HS2 a “white elephant” and criticised its “ridiculous” cost.
Initially, government insiders signalled they had been intending to announce the details this week, ahead of the Conservative party conference. But the pushback has delayed things, and No 10 has stressed a decision will be made closer to the autumn statement on 22 November.
Sunak faced questions about the Conservative party’s chances in Tamworth and Mid-Bedfordshire – two Tory stronghold seats where parliamentary byelections are being held next month.
He brushed off concerns raised about the Tories’ prospects, saying: “Midterm byelections, local elections, are always tricky for incumbent governments. I get that, and I get people are frustrated about what’s been happening over the past couple of years, but I’m determined to deliver for them.”
Sunak insisted the decision of Alok Sharma, the Tory MP for Reading West, to stand down was “absolutely not linked” to frustration by the former Cop26 president with the prime minister pushing back climate goals.
Asked by BBC Radio West Midlands about whether it was right for Birmingham residents to face increased costs as a result of the city council going bankrupt, Sunak said Labour had mismanaged the council and it was right for voters to hold local councillors to account.
