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Oct 2023

Last Updated: 04/10/2023

Harrogate

Andrew Jones MP 'disappointed' after HS2 northern leg cancelled

by Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter

| 04 Oct, 2023

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has said he is “disappointed” after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped plans for the northern leg of HS2.

In a speech before the Conservative Party conference this afternoon, Mr Sunak announced the high speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester would be cancelled. Only the new London Euston to Birmingham line will be built.

The Prime Minister said the move would save £36 billion, which he pledged to spend on other transport projects.

Mr Jones, who has long been a vocal supporter of the HS2 project and is co-chair of the Transport Across The North All Party Parliament Group, said the scheme would cost billions of pounds more than expected, but regretted the decision to scrap it.

He said:

“I am disappointed by the news today that the northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester is to be effectively scrapped. The idea of HS2 was to build capacity into our north-south rail links. Building that capacity is the right thing to do and HS2 would achieve that.

“HS2 Limited was set up to manage the project and it has become clear that it has lost control of its costs. It is right that the company will be held accountable for this.

“HS2 is now looking to over-run by tens of billions of pounds. From an original budget of around £30bn it seems likely when the latest updates are released that the cost will be over £100bn.

“In context, that over-run is approaching half of what we spend on the NHS every year.

“I can see, therefore, why a decision had to be made. It is though a decision I regret.”

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The MP and former rail minister told a Transport for the North conference in September 2021 it was vital that the HS2 scheme was delivered in full for the north.

At the time, he said the high speed rail link would help to put “more connectivity and capacity into our system”.

In a statement to the Stray Ferret today, Mr Jones said it remained his position that he would have preferred the Manchester leg of the project to have been delivered.

However, he added that the “ballooning cost” of HS2 was holding back other transport infrastructure in the north of England.

Mr Jones said:

“The ballooning costs of HS2 are holding back other investment in transport infrastructure in the north. The Prime Minister has promised that the cash that would have been invested in the Manchester leg of HS2 will be repurposed to other northern projects – ones which can be achieved more quickly and have a more immediate impact on people’s lives and businesses.

“So I am disappointed that we have ended up in this place. I would have preferred the remainder of the HS2 to Manchester to be completed. That has always been my position and it remains my position now.

“But we are where we are because HS2 Limited has demonstrated poor financial control. We cannot turn the clock back. In politics you need to look forward even when circumstances change in a way you wish they had not. The Prime Minister listed some but I look forward to hearing about more northern projects, and in more detail, that are to become the focus of the investment that would have been dedicated to HS2.”

Meanwhile, Lord McLoughlin, chair of Transport for the North, said the move to cancel the northern leg of HS2 was "naturally disappointing".

He said:

“It’s undeniable that this will be seen by many as a missed opportunity for the region, and the country as a whole. Only last week, northern business and political leaders came together at our TfN Board to speak with ‘one voice’ to reaffirm our position that HS2 and NPR in full are vital to truly transform the North.

“The announcement of investment in the region is obviously welcome. And we will look to work with government to fully understand the implications for the north of the proposals set out today in the Prime Minister’s speech, and consult with our board on the best way forward in light of this new change of policy.

"There are still quite a few areas that require further clarification from the Department for Transport, which we will be seeking from them.”

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Andrew Jones MP 'disappointed' after HS2 northern leg cancelled

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