The UK Prime Minister has come under fire after announcing the cancellation of the HS2 high-speed rail line connecting Birmingham to Manchester at the Conservative Party Conference. Rishi Sunak told attendees that the project was no longer viable and that he would instead be investing in transport projects across the country. Plans for a new post-16 qualification and the phase-out of smoking were also announced.
The decision to scrap HS2 has angered local leaders, including Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, who had threatened to resign if the line was cancelled. Former Prime Minister David Cameron also denounced the move, claiming that a “once-in-a-generation opportunity was lost” and it would be harder to build consensus for future long-term projects.
However, concerns about the cost of the project, which has already seen its section to Leeds cancelled, have grown in recent months. Mr. Sunak announced that nearly £4bn would be reallocated to transport schemes in six northern city regions, including £3bn for upgraded and electrified rail lines.
Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden criticised the Conservative party for the cancellation of HS2, calling it a “Tory fiasco”. He stopped short of committing to reviving the project if the party won the next election, saying it would need to “look at the numbers”.
Mr. Sunak’s hour-long speech marked a shift in the approach of the Conservative Party, which has been in government for the past 13 years. Acknowledging the public’s fatigue with the politics of the last 30 years, he presented himself as a man of change who can deliver the transformation that the country needs. However, his decision to cancel HS2 will be seen by some as a missed opportunity for progress
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