Sunak facing threat of Tory rebellion over HS2 and future of …
Rishi Sunak faces the threat of a damaging Tory rebellion due to fears his plans to scrap the northern leg of HS2[1] to Manchester will scupper any hopes of delivering a full east to west rail line across the North.
The Prime Minister is expected to announce his intention to ditch Phase 2 of the high-speed line from Birmingham to Manchester[2] to focus on upgrading local transport projects in the North, prompting a severe backlash from senior Tories.
He will also face criticism from senior Tories, with former Home Secretary Priti Patel and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street voicing their concerns.
Conservative sources expect the Prime Minister to announce in his speech on Wednesday that the line is being scrapped and replaced by a number of smaller transport schemes, such as improving bus links and improving road networks, which will be funded by the money saved.
“The project is just out of control,” an insider said. “If we pressed ahead it would take up something like 40 per cent of the Government’s entire transport spending, which is ridiculous.”
Industry sources have also raised serious doubts that this will result in a full east to west Northern Powerhouse Rail[3] scheme being delivered, however, which was a key demand of both Northern MPs and regional leaders.
One source told i: “They are planning to scrap HS2 and there is also a doubt that Northern Powerhouse Rail will go ahead as we had hoped because this is reliant on HS2 phase 2b linking Manchester Airport to Piccadilly going ahead.”
Any attempt to scrap HS2 without delivering NPR linking Liverpool to Hull will be vigorously opposed by MPs in the North, with one source telling i that it could provoke a major backbench rebellion.
One northern Tory MP told i that any attempt to scrap HS2 without committing to NPR would not be acceptable.
“I do not believe they would do that. How could they? I think if they were not to go ahead with NPR, well how would that look?” the senior Tory said.
The Government has insisted that “no decision has yet been taken” when asked if the train line had been dumped.
Any significant rebellion on HS2 will severely weaken the Prime Minister’s position as the infrastructure project is seen by many Tories as central to the Government’s flagship levelling up agenda[4].
Mr Sunak failed to commit to the northern leg of HS2 when he appeared on several local radio shows last week, amid claims that costs are spiralling “out of control”.
The HS2 link from Birmingham to Manchester is expected to be scrapped
Another northern Tory MP said colleagues would want to see the Government make “serious investments” in transport in the region to offset the loss of HS2.
They predicted that any Commons vote required to scrap the line would be “interesting” as several MPs may rebel.
“They will have to talk to the NRG,” the MP said.
“There may have to be some Towns Fund cash going around [to win round rebels with funding for their seats].”
Tory former transport minister Sir Robert Goodwill said the key test for Mr Sunak would be whether they keep the land procured for HS2 that will prove crucial if NPR is to be revisited and possibly upgraded.
He urged the Prime Minister to maintain the procurement “to keep options open”.
“The question is, will they withdraw the safeguarding of land needed for the line [NPR]? Will they sell land they may have procured? If so, the project will not be able to be resurrected,” he said.
The Prime Minister will also face anger from other senior Tories. Priti Patel Priti Patel told Times Radio that cancelling HS2 beyond Birmingham is a “pretty drastic step forward” by the Prime Minister.
“So I think there are a lot of questions to ask about how he reached that decision? What kind of work have they done, what kind of analysis, what kind of assumptions? And have they actually literally gone into all the scenarios around viability? And what is the case that they’re going to make to say, no, we’re not going to go ahead with it.”
And West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street said: “I won’t let HS2 go without a fight. The offer to the PM is there – work with me and the private sector, grip the costs, and build Britain’s future.”
References
- ^ s his plans to scrap the northern leg of HS2 (inews.co.uk)
- ^ his intention to ditch Phase 2 of the high-speed line from Birmingham to Manchester (inews.co.uk)
- ^ east to west Northern Powerhouse Rail (inews.co.uk)
- ^ to the Government’s flagship levelling up agenda (inews.co.uk)