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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Observer editorial

The Observer view on HS2: a failure of nerve by Rishi Sunak would be disastrous

​​Rishi Sunak HS2 Mark Harper London United Kingdom
Road sign says: 'No HS2 traffic'
Road sign near Amersham, north-west of London, where construction work on the high-speed link is still going on. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

A prime minister who has no idea whether he will spend the money to complete the single largest infrastructure project in the UK can hardly be said to have a long-term plan. Rishi Sunak’s procrastination over the fate of HS2 undermines any faith the public and business might have in the government to bring together the expertise and funds to meet a significant challenge.

Such was the chaos inside No 10 on the eve of the Tory conference that the transport secretary, Mark Harper, could not answer even the most basic question asked of him on BBC radio on Saturday morning: have HS2 plans changed since June’s update to parliament?

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