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The future of Britain’s High Speed Rail Line 2 project was hit by further uncertainty on Sunday after one of Labour’s most senior figures refused to commit to building the northern section of the line to Manchester, just days after ministers expressed concern over the embattled project project raised similar questions.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow cabinet office minister and electoral coordinator, said he hoped to see a revised price tag for HS2 later this year, when it would be adjusted for rising inflation. Then implement the plan again.
“Those prices haven’t been raised since 2019 and inflation has been quite high since then, so I’d like to see what happens in the next few months,” he told the BBC, when asked whether Labor was still committed to completing HS2 When asked about the “full original line”, he replied: “I want to see how much that costs and we will make those decisions in the manifesto.”
McFadden’s comments come despite Labour’s National Policy Forum releasing a document on Friday promising the party would “fully implement HS2, unlocking billions of dollars in economic growth”.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer expressed similar caution in comments to the Financial Times on Saturday, saying Labor “remains committed” to HS2 but added: “I don’t know what the government will say What……” . . We’ll have to wait and see what they’re going to say, but they’re making a mess. “
Last week, the government refused to commit to building HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester after a meeting between Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to identify further potential savings. Northern section, thus starting speculation about the northern section of HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester.
HS2’s cost has more than doubled from its original £33bn budget a decade ago, when the line was originally envisaged running from London to Birmingham before splitting into two parts heading to Manchester and Leeds.
The ruling Conservatives have cut or delayed some works to control costs, including canceling much of the eastern stretch between Birmingham and Leeds.
However, the estimated cost of the entire project has soared from £37.5 billion in 2013 to more than £70 billion in 2019. Later this year, the government will update cost calculations to reflect higher inflation, which is expected to increase prices by tens of billions of pounds.
The comments from the Labor leadership reflected a determination to avoid costly unilateral spending commitments ahead of next year’s election, with the party currently leading a commanding lead over the Conservatives.
Former Labor adviser Tom Hamilton said: “If the government cancels large-scale plans, it will transform the construction policy promised by the previous (Labour) government into large-scale spending commitments.”
Northern Labor and business leaders have long insisted that Manchester’s HS2 connection is vital to the region’s economy.
Manchester Council leader Bev Craig said on Thursday that “tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment” in the city depended on “certainty” of the project’s delivery, including the additional rail it would bring Capacity.
“If anything, the program should be accelerated to minimize costs and ensure the benefits are felt sooner,” she added. “As a city, as a region, as a country, we cannot afford to fall behind.”
Henry Murrison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership business lobby group, said the private sector was “looking for certainty on HS2 from all the major parties”.
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