Rishi Sunak fuels HS2 speculation with praise of future Old Oak …
The Prime Minister on Thursday praised Old Oak Common[1]’s connections to the rest of London and Heathrow as “very strong” amid speculation that he is set to shunt a longer HS2[2] into the sidings.
In a round of interviews with BBC local radio stations, Rishi Sunak[3] was grilled about the future of the high-speed railway project amid growing expectations that he will shelve its final link into Euston, and its Birmingham-Manchester leg.
Mr Sunak stressed that there were already “spades in the ground” to build HS2 from London to Birmingham.
But he added that the Government was always making sure “we get value for money” as he flagged up the importance of funding other transport projects such as rural bus services, fixing road potholes and connecting northern towns and cities.
Pressed on HS2’s planned Euston terminus in central London, he touted the connections that will be offered from the future station at Old Oak Common between Paddington and Acton in the west of the capital.
“Old Oak Common is on the new Elizabeth line and actually the connections from Old Oak Common to most London destinations, whether that’s Heathrow, the City, the West End are actually very, very strong, because of the connections that it has on the Elizabeth line,” he said.
“Obviously it’s a new station that people will not be familiar with, but its connectivity into all those areas is very strong because of the Elizabeth line that it’s on.”
The Prime Minister’s comments will do nothing to dampen speculation that the Government does intend to scrap the costly Euston works and terminate HS2 at Old Oak Common, to save billions on a project that is already vastly over budget.
But five Labour mayors including London’s Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham of Greater Manchester urged Mr Sunak not to cut HS2 further as they met on Wednesday in Leeds, which has already been shorn of its link to the high-speed railway.
Mr Khan said he had been “bombarded” by messages from London-based businesses concerned that the Birmingham to Manchester leg may be cancelled.
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He added: “The idea that the end terminal in perpetuity would be not in Euston but six miles west in Old Oak Common is just staggering.”
But the London Mayor also said that Sir Keir Starmer was right not to promise “a blank cheque for 18 months’ time” with regard to HS2, if Labour wins the next election.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s praise of Old Oak Common, a spokesperson for Mr Khan told the Standard: “Sadiq has been clear that the Government must deliver HS2 in its entirety - including terminating at Euston station. Failure to construct the line in full would be a complete failure of public policy.
“It would leave homes, businesses and livelihoods destroyed around Euston for nothing, and could result in the absurd situation where journeys into central London take longer than they do now on existing routes.
“Given the time and money already invested in HS2 it would be a blow for businesses and communities across England who have been promised this new railway.”
Mr Sunak revealed that he would likely drive to the Conservatives’ Manchester conference because of rail strikes this weekend, which he called “very disappointing”, although he has also often taken a helicopter around the UK.
While he was subjected to tough questioning about HS2, the NHS, schools and housing, Mr Sunak’s round of BBC interviews at least went better than Liz Truss’s ahead of last year’s Tory conference.
After her mini-budget had bombed with the markets, the then-PM was savaged by the hosts for her scripted answers, responding with long pauses and sighing. The eight presenters went on to win a broadcasting award.
References
- ^ Old Oak Common (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ HS2 (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ Rishi Sunak (www.standard.co.uk)