Anger in Britain grows as Sunak weighs scrapping part of HS2 high-speed rail line
- HS2 high-speed rail line is part of a Conservative strategy to ‘level up’ prosperity in northern communities
- Former prime minister and mayors join chorus of criticism as transport project faces cost blowout
Rishi Sunak faced growing anger from business leaders, politicians across the spectrum and even a major donor as he weighed whether to shorten a flagship rail project that may cost the UK £100 billion (US$123 billion).
The prime minister and chancellor are locked in talks over whether to halt the Birmingham-to-Manchester leg of High Speed 2 over concerns its cost is spiraling out of control.
A decision may come as early as this week before Conservatives gather for their annual conference in Manchester.
“We do have to respond to the budgets,” Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in an interview with the BBC on Sunday. “We have been hit not just by coronavirus but also by war in Ukraine, and I think any responsible government looks at that and says does this still stack up for what the country requires in terms of where it’s spending its resources?”
While Shapps didn’t detail what Sunak is likely to decide, his remarks fed speculation that the Conservative government will drop a major part of the project that was at the heart of its strategy to “level up” prosperity in northern communities.