Build HS2, say northern leaders, as ministers refuse to confirm Manchester link

Northern leaders person called connected Downing Street to honour promises to physique the HS2 high-speed obstruction line, arsenic ministers repeatedly refused to corroborate to MPs whether it would tally to Manchester.

Doubts implicit the aboriginal of the multibillion-pound HS2 project are increasing aft the inferior transport curate Richard Holden dodged aggregate questions successful the Commons.

Reports astatine the play said the premier minister, Rishi Sunak, was acceptable connected cutting HS2 abbreviated aft the archetypal signifier to Birmingham.

The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said the reports “beggared belief” aft the promises of successive Conservative governments implicit the past 10 years.

Labour said it was “committed to delivering HS2 successful afloat and maximising its economical benefits”, aft doubts were raised implicit its ain policy.

The shadiness transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said HS2 would supply a slower travel betwixt London and Birmingham than existent bid services if the task is chopped back.

Originally planned arsenic a Y-shaped way betwixt London and the north, HS2 has been chopped backmost repeatedly amid ballooning costs, with the eastern limb to Leeds scrapped successful 2021 and the Manchester limb delayed by different 2 years successful March.

The precocious scope of authoritative costs are present enactment astatine astir £71bn, successful 2019 prices, excluding the unspecified bluish limb which could outgo £8bn. However, costs are believed to person risen substantially since past owed to precocious inflation. Lord Tony Berkeley, the vice-chair of the Oakervee reappraisal of HS2 commissioned by Boris Johnson and a Labour peer, claimed that estimated costs of the high-speed obstruction strategy were present astir £180bn.

Haigh said: “Here we are yet again. 13 years of gross mismanagement and chaos coming location to roost. First they slashed Northern Powerhouse Rail, past they binned HS2 to Leeds, past they announced the enactment would terminate astatine Old Oak Common for years to come, and present it looks similar they are considering cutting the northbound of England retired successful its entirety.”

Holden repeatedly stated that “spades are successful the ground” erstwhile asked to corroborate that the Birmingham to Manchester enactment had a future, and alternatively attacked Labour’s “£140bn uncosted commitments” to physique HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail successful full.

Speaking to the Guardian, Burnham urged Sunak to extremity the uncertainty and consult radical successful the north. He said nary bluish leaders had been consulted astir changes that seemingly had been briefed, including re-announcing a modified east-west line.

He said: “I don’t see that to beryllium just oregon acceptable to mayors oregon the public.

“It’s a decennary since George Osborne came present and promised america the world – HS2, HS3, amended TransPennine services – and nary of that has happened, it’s gone backwards. No wonderment radical are cynical astir politics.

“Why does the northbound of England person to take betwixt a bully east-west enactment and north-south? London has both.

“If the briefings are to believed … the south-east linking up to the Midlands with high-speed trains, portion the northbound struggles connected with Victorian infrastructure, thing would exemplify the inequality clearer than that.”

Holden, lasting successful for the transport secretary, Mark Harper, and the obstruction minister, Huw Merriman, came nether unit from his ain backbenches, with Tory MPs questioning the logic of the full task if it does not spell to Manchester.

Iain Stewart, the Conservative MP who chairs the transport prime committee, referred to reports of plans to perchance extremity the enactment aboriginal successful Old Oak Common successful north-west London – alternatively of moving into Euston – arsenic portion of a cost-cutting exercise.

“If what has been reported is true, it would beryllium an tremendous mendacious economy. Whether you enactment oregon reason successful principle, starting from Old Oak Common volition not realise the afloat imaginable of the task and volition person travel arsenic an tremendous outgo to communities,” helium added.

Robert Syms, different Tory MP and a subordinate of the aforesaid committee until recently, said: “The logic of the task is that it does person to spell to Manchester and beyond. Otherwise it wasn’t worthy starting.”

The destiny of the HS2 web was thrown into uncertainty past week arsenic Downing Street confirmed discussions astir imaginable spending cuts earlier the November autumn statement, and refused to corroborate the enactment would spell to Manchester.

A elder authorities root since quoted successful the Times claimed Sunak had “made up his mind” to scrap the Manchester HS2 nexus and the enactment moving into Euston successful cardinal London, stopping alternatively astatine a caller Old Oak Common presumption six miles west.

The reports travel conscionable six months aft ministers announced that operation would beryllium paused successful places, and high-speed services to Manchester would not commencement until astir a decennary aboriginal than primitively promised.

HS2 Ltd has truthful acold spent astir £585m connected buying up 954 properties and onshore for the 2nd phase, which is present successful doubt.

A Labour frontbencher, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said connected Monday evening the enactment would physique HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail – the word utilized for projects to link bluish English cities – “in full”. “That’s the wide pledge that we person given,” helium said.

Pressed by the BBC connected what helium meant by “in full” and whether this included plans not conscionable to spell to Manchester but besides to Leeds, helium said: “It’s some to Manchester and so the eastbound limb you person referred to.”

Burnham, speaking arsenic Manchester launched its Bee Network app earlier franchised autobus services travel backmost nether nationalist control, said the metropolis was making “a large alteration to nationalist transport that we judge volition bring monolithic betterment – but connected a nationalist level it’s going backwards”.

The West Yorkshire mayor, Tracy Brabin, said the authorities seemed “determined to present the fatal stroke for HS2 successful the north”, having already axed the nonstop enactment to Leeds with the presumption of the remaining north-eastern limb nether review. She added: “We are crying retired for our just stock of transport concern to assistance america physique a better-connected portion – but erstwhile again the northbound is conscionable an afterthought for this government.”

Berkeley criticised the nationalist accounts committee and the National Audit Office for accepting Department for Transport outgo estimates. He said Sunak would beryllium close to extremity the enactment into London astatine Old Oak Common, which helium said could prevention £12bn, adding that it was “time to commencement again from scratch” northbound of Birmingham.

Merriman was aboriginal revealed to beryllium successful the Czech Republic signing a declaration of practice connected high-speed rail.