Sunak says he ‘won’t be rushed’ into HS2 decision as agenda blown …
Rishi Sunak denies giving up on HS2
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Rishi Sunak[1] has insisted he hasn’t given up on the HS2[2] railway joining Manchester[3] but urged caution saying he wanted to take the time to “make the right decision for the country” with billions of pounds at stake.
The decision comes just weeks afterThe Independent first revealed secret talks[4] between him and chancellor Jeremy Hunt[5] to scrap the route.
The move to delay the leg by seven years means plans for the rail line to stretch beyond Birmingham[6] have been kicked into the long grass, The Independent understands, in a move that has sparked fury among northern business leaders[7] and politicians, including the most senior Tory outside Westminster, Andy Street[8].
The West Midlands mayor called an extraordinary impromptu press conference on Monday evening, in which he urged the PM not to “cancel the future”, and refused to rule out resigning over the matter.
Meanwhile, further infighting – spearheaded by his brief predecessor Liz Truss – threatened to put Mr Sunak’s majority at risk, as some 60 Tory MPs signed up to her pro-growth group of rebels demanding tax reductions this year to “Make Britain Grow Again”.
Show latest update 1696318833Priti Patel and Nigel Farage dance the night away
Some say the Tory conference has been overshadowed by the scrapping of HS2- but have you seen this video of Priti Patel dancing with Nigel Farage? Now, that’s something...
Watch Priti Patel Dancing With Nigel Farage At Gathering
Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 October 2023 08:40
[9]1696317896
Rishi Sunak clashes with BBC presenter as he refuses to answer HS2 question[11]
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to answer questions on the future of HS2 when he appeared on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning, telling presenters “I’m not going to be forced into a premature decision because it’s good for someone’s TV programme. BBC presenter Sally Nugent asked Mr Sunak: “People watching on this programme really like it when politicians answer questions. What is the situation with HS2 coming all the way to Manchester?” Mr Sunak replied: “Sally, I know you keep asking, I know there is lots of speculation, but I am not going to be forced into a premature decision because it’s good for someone’s TV programme.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 October 2023 08:24
[10]1696317134PM says people don’t care ‘how much money I have'
Rishi Sunak said he did not believe voters care about how much money he has, amid claims and criticisms that his wealth means he is “out of touch”.
The prime minister, who with his wife Akshata Murty has an estimated net worth of £529 million, faced questions during a set of broadcast interviews about whether his wealth made it difficult for voters to connect with him.
He told Times Radio: “I think what people want from their prime ministers and their leaders is to do things that are going to make a difference to their lives.
“I don’t think people are as interested in how much money is in my bank account. They’re interested in what I’m doing for them.”
Mr Sunak’s wealth makes him one of the richest men ever to become prime minister, but it has seen critics and opponents argue that he has little understanding of the pressures on ordinary voters battling inflation.
(PA Wire)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 October 2023 08:12
[12]1696316385Rishi Sunak insists the Tories are having a ‘great’ conference despite HS2 speculation
Rishi Sunak rejected a suggestion that the row over HS2 had overshadowed the Conservative Party conference and that the handling of the announcement had been poor.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I don’t think that. Actually we’re having a great conference.”
Pressed again, he said: “The mood here is great.”
He then proceeded to list all the other Government announcements made at the conference in Manchester this week.
Barney Davis3 October 2023 07:59
[13]1696316092Rishi Sunak boasts he is a Northern MP amid HS2
Rishi Sunak was boasting his northern credentials in a spiky interview on BBC Breakfast after being accused of giving up on the HS2 line to Manchester
Asked if he can be trusted by The North if he doesn’t link the high-speed railway to the great cities, he hit back: “Look I’m a northern MP. When I’m lucky enough to go home from London I get to go home from North Yorkshire.
“As chancellor I created freeports across The North including in Teeside which is now attracting billions in investments and jobs.” He stressed: “I moved the Treasury to Darlington.”
Barney Davis3 October 2023 07:54
[14]1696315349Rishi Sunak denies giving up on HS2
Rishi Sunak got his own catchphrase “spades in the ground” wrong as he denied giving up on HS2 stretch to Manchester in a heated breakfast interview.
Mr Sunak said: “The way I approach this job I take a look at the facts and take the time to make the right decision on behalf of the country.”
Asked on BBC Breakfast if he had given up on the railway, he said: “Absolutely not, we have got spades on the ground on HS2 as we speak.”
He added: “I know there is lots of speculation. I’m not going to be forced into a premature decision because it will be good for someone’s TV programme. I want to make the right decision for the country.
“What I want to do is make the right decision for the country. This is an enormous amount of people’s money, taxpayers’ money, everybody watching, billions and billions of pounds.
“We shouldn’t be rushed into things like that. What people would expect from me is to take the time to go over it properly and make sure we make the right long-term decisions for the country.”
Barney Davis3 October 2023 07:42
[15]1696313781Simon Calder: Cutting off the North from HS2 is a national disgrace
Vandalism on the railway can result in a life sentence and an unlimited fine for the perpetrator. But the act of national vandalism that is the decision to disconnect the North completely from HS2[17] will mean a life sentence of inadequate rail services for tens of millions of travellers across England, Wales and Scotland.
No serious figure in the rail industry can believe what the government is contemplating: ripping up the primary function of HS2. The line as conceived (and as recently as two weeks ago, guaranteed by a future Labour government) is designed to connect Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham with Birmingham at 21st-century speeds.
The onward link to London is intended to provide vital extra capacity on all north-south services, with the valuable side effects of slashing journey times and tempting travellers from road to rail, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder writes.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 October 2023 07:16
[16]1696312800Scrapping HS2 leg would make line ‘a monument of the places Whitehall cares about’
Andy Burnham has described reports that the Manchester leg of HS2 will be shelved as “profoundly depressing”.
Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference, the Manchester mayor said: “This will be remembered as the conference when they pulled the plug on us.
“What gives them the right to treat people here in Greater Manchester and the north of England as second-class citizens? We’re growing faster than the UK economy. We’re a success story and then, behind you, you have got people working against you.”
Mr Burnham added: “If this railway goes from outer London through the Home Counties and ends up in Birmingham, it will be a monument of the places Whitehall cares about.”
Andy Gregory3 October 2023 07:00
[18]1696309440‘Time to roll up our sleeves,’ says Hunt
Concluding his keynote speech earlier at the Tory conference, chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “It’s easy to support higher growth, better public services and lower taxes. Harder to make it happen.
“In Britain today, there’s only one party prepared to make those difficult decisions.
“Our party and our Prime Minister, whose diligence and tenacity have given us the Windsor Framework, the Atlantic Declaration, the Trans Pacific trade deal, and the NHS workforce plan, whose own life story shows just what’s possible with education, aspiration and hard work.
“His story and our story: more growth, more jobs, more doctors, more nurses, better schools, less poverty, less crime.
“It’s time to roll up our sleeves, take on the declinists and watch the British economy prove the doubters wrong.”
Andy Gregory3 October 2023 06:04
[19]1696305661Full report: HS2 northern leg scrapped – weeks after The Independent revealed Rishi Sunak’s plan to axe it
Rishi Sunak is set to use the Tory party conference to confirm he has scrapped the northern leg of HS2 – weeks after The Independent revealed he had held secret talks about axeing the project.
The Independent understands that the route north of Birmingham will be shelved for seven years in a bid to ditch the project in the long term – a move that has sparked fury among northern mayors and business bosses.
A source close to government discussions said Mr Sunak was most likely to make the announcement in his speech on Wednesday, though it could now be brought forward to Tuesday.
The Independent understands that the decision to leave open the possibility that HS2 could be revived by the end of the decade was only made after this publication’s initial exclusive provoked a furious backlash and spooked No 10.
The move completely overshadowed the second day of the party’s conference in Manchester, with chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s speech left largely ignored.
Our politics and policy correspondents Adam Forrest and Jon Stone have the full report:
Andy Gregory3 October 2023 05:01
[20]References
- ^ Rishi Sunak (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ HS2 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Manchester (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ How The Independent revealed Sunak’s plan to cut HS2 - and how the government reacted (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Jeremy Hunt (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Birmingham (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ business leaders (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Andy Street (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696318833 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696317896 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Rishi Sunak clashes with BBC presenter as he refuses to answer HS2 question (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696317134 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696316385 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696316092 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696315349 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696313781 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ HS2 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696312800 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696309440 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1696305661 (www.independent.co.uk)