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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt launched a successful rearguard action to secure the HS2 high-speed rail line to Euston station in central London, as Rishi Sunak prepares to ax it The northern section of the route.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had considered terminating the line at Old Oak Common, six miles from central London, to save money, but government insiders said Hunt worked to ensure the line continued to a dedicated terminus at Euston.
One official said Hunt believed the route should be built to Euston, for economic reasons but also because Britain’s reputation would be damaged if the route ended on the outskirts of London.
Mr Hunt made his stance clear in January, saying: “I don’t think there is any conceivable scenario where (the line) would not end up at Euston.”
Sunak recently claimed that the Old Oak Common has “very close” links to the rest of London via the new Elizabeth Line. Several Conservative officials said Hunt’s view prevailed.
However, Sunak is expected to announce the cancellation of the northern section of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester in his Conservative Party conference speech on Wednesday and divert the cash to other transport projects.
According to Sky News, in order to save face, Sunak may announce that high-speed trains from Birmingham to Manchester will continue to run on existing tracks. Downing Street has been contacted for comment.
The Prime Minister is expected to convene cabinet to “give its seal of approval” to his HS2 plan before addressing party members in Manchester, a Tory official said.
Construction is underway on the initial section of HS2 between London and Birmingham.
Sunak will claim in his speech that canceling the final section of the high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester proves he is prepared to make “tough decisions” in the national interest.
He will announce funding for new transport projects, with government insiders confirming that all savings from HS2 will be reinvested in new road, rail and bus projects and filling potholes.
Despite the Treasury’s doubts about HS2’s initial business case, several government insiders said the Treasury was not agitating for scrapping the northern leg.
Sunak admitted his decision would be controversial, with his allies concerned the Conservative West Midlands mayor Andy Street might resign. “Andy will do what he wants,” one said. Street declined to say whether he would resign.
But the Prime Minister will argue that his overhaul of Britain’s transport priorities demonstrates his willingness to take tough decisions that benefit ordinary voters. “Politics doesn’t work the way it should,” he would say.
Conservative officials said Sunak’s speech will contain a series of new policy initiatives to prove that he can transform the country and galvanize the Conservative Party, which usually trails Labor by more than 15 points in opinion polls.
One of the initiatives discussed in No. 10 in recent days is a reform of post-16 education, with a new focus on the teaching of mathematics.
Sunak will promise to break with “30 years of political status quo” – seeking to argue that governments such as John Major’s Conservatives and Tony Blair’s Labor regime were failed systems characterized by “vested interests” part.
“It’s not anger, it’s boredom with politics,” Sunak would say. “Especially when politicians say something and then nothing changes.” Labor will argue that after 13 years of Tory rule, only it can bring about real change.
Sunak will counter that Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer is not a “change candidate” and that the opposition leader’s safety-first approach is “betting on people’s apathy”. “It does not represent any higher purpose or a brighter future,” Sunak would say.
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