Sunak insists he remains committed to levelling up as he refuses to say HS2 Manchester link still going ahead
In his speech on net zero last week Rishi Sunak complained about politicians who take “the easy way” out because they go round “telling people the bits they want to hear, and not necessarily always the bits they need to hear”.
But this morning, when asked about his plans for HS2, Sunak did not seem very keen on speaking blunt truths himself. At least twice he dodged questions about whether the Manchester phase would go ahead, while insisting that his government remained committed to levelling up.
Asked if scaling back HS2 mean he was no longer committed to levelling up, he replied:
I’m not going to comment on that type of speculation. But what I would say is we’re absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the north but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country,” he said.
And transport infrastructure is a key part of that, not just big rail projects, but also local projects, improving local bus services, fixing pot holes, all of these things make a difference in people’s day-to-day lives.
Then, asked again if phase two was going ahead, he replied:
This kind of speculation that people are making is not right. I mean.
We’ve got spades in the ground, we’re getting on and elivering.
But across the north what we’re also doing is connecting up all the towns and cities in the north, east to west. That’s a really important part of how we will create jobs, drive growth across the region – all part of our plans to level up.
Free ports are another good example of that, whether that’s in Teesside or elsewhere, attracting new investment, new businesses coming in – all good examples of the government levelling up.
Key events
The former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown has added his voice to those urging Rishi Sunak not to scrap the second phase of HS2. His government first proposed HS2 before it was voted out of office in 2010, and in an interview with Times Radio he said cancelling the project would cause “confusion and chaos”. He said:
Every country in Europe is doing high speed rail. It’s becoming the norm rather than the exception, and Britain is in danger of having 19th century solutions to 21st century problems.
Again, you see the costs have risen. It was £33bn when we announced it. It’s now likely to be something nearer £100bn. And something’s got to be done to show that the cost can be kept down.
But if you embark on a big infrastructure project, you cause confusion and chaos, particularly for Manchester and for the areas in the north, where they also want east/west links as well as north/south links, if you just give up on a project halfway through it. It does not make sense for us to give up all the work that has been done.
Brown has been giving interviews this morning to promote his call for the world’s richest oil-producing companies to pay a tax to help poorer nations deal with the climate crisis. He has written about that here.
Armed police need clarity about legal powers, Sunak says
Rishi Sunak has said the Home Office has ordered a review into the circumstances in which armed police officers can face prosecution if their fire their weapons while on duty because it’s important they have “clarity”, Kevin Rawlinson reports.
Sunak does not deny wanting to cut inheritance tax, but insists cutting inflation is his priority
At the weekend the Sunday Times said that Rishi Sunak is considering getting rid of inheritance tax. In their splash, Caroline Wheeler, Tim Shipman and Harry Yorke said:
Three sources confirmed that there is a live discussion at the highest level of government about reforming inheritance tax. One proposal being considered is for Sunak to announce his intention to phase out the levy by reducing the 40 per cent inheritance tax rate in the budget in March, while setting out a pathway to abolish it completely in future years.
They also revealed some cynical thinking behind the potential move, which would only benefit the most wealthy families.
However, government insiders are clear that there are political gains to be made this side of an election. “This is the most hated tax in Britain, according to the polls,” the source said. “It’s the most hated tax at every income. A lot of people don’t know that they won’t pay it. People also feel it is just wrong to tax people on income that has already been taxed — and at a time when they are grieving.”
Asked about the story today, Sunak did not deny that this was being considered, although he claimed his priority was tackling inflation. He said:
I never would comment on tax speculation, of which there is always plenty.
What I would say is that the most important tax cut I can deliver for the British people is to halve inflation.
It is inflation that is putting up prices of things, inflation that is eating into people’s savings and making them feel poorer. And the quicker we get inflation down, the better for everybody.
We are making progress, we saw that in the most recent numbers. The plan is working, but we have got to stick to the plan to bring inflation down and that is the best way to help people with the cost of living.
Sunak insists he remains committed to levelling up as he refuses to say HS2 Manchester link still going ahead
In his speech on net zero last week Rishi Sunak complained about politicians who take “the easy way” out because they go round “telling people the bits they want to hear, and not necessarily always the bits they need to hear”.
But this morning, when asked about his plans for HS2, Sunak did not seem very keen on speaking blunt truths himself. At least twice he dodged questions about whether the Manchester phase would go ahead, while insisting that his government remained committed to levelling up.
Asked if scaling back HS2 mean he was no longer committed to levelling up, he replied:
I’m not going to comment on that type of speculation. But what I would say is we’re absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the north but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country,” he said.
And transport infrastructure is a key part of that, not just big rail projects, but also local projects, improving local bus services, fixing pot holes, all of these things make a difference in people’s day-to-day lives.
Then, asked again if phase two was going ahead, he replied:
This kind of speculation that people are making is not right. I mean.
We’ve got spades in the ground, we’re getting on and elivering.
But across the north what we’re also doing is connecting up all the towns and cities in the north, east to west. That’s a really important part of how we will create jobs, drive growth across the region – all part of our plans to level up.
Free ports are another good example of that, whether that’s in Teesside or elsewhere, attracting new investment, new businesses coming in – all good examples of the government levelling up.
Osborne and Heseltine say scrapping HS2 Manchester link would be international symbol of UK’s decline
Good morning. The axe has been hovering over the Birmingham to Manchester phase of HS2 for at least a week now, since a transport minister in the Commons repeatedly refused to say it was still going ahead, all but confirming reports saying that Rishi Sunak had decide to scrap it because it was too expensive. Sometimes when a story like this breaks there is an immediate backlash, which then dies down as people assume that the decision (not formally announced, but already taken as fact) might not be so daft after all. What is interesting, though, about the HS2 story is that, after a week of intense speculation, outrage about what’s proposed seems to be escalating.
As Peter Walker reports, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, told the Today programme this morning that scrapping phase two of HS2 would be a disaster that would leave the north of England with “Victorian infrastructure probably for the rest of this century”.
Sunak will be more worried about the Conservative party reaction, and this morning there is a blistering article in the Times jointly written by George Osborne and Michael Heseltine. As chancellor, Osborne promoted the concept of the “northern powerhouse”, and with a constituency in Cheshire he saw himself as a northern MP. Heseltine has championed infrastracture developments throughout his career, and he is probably the only Tory in modern times to have been granted the freedom of the city of Liverpool – recognition of the huge impact he had on redevelopment in the city in the Thatcher era. Their article is full of good lines. Here are some of the highlights.
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Osborne and Heseltine say that without the link to Manchester HS2 would be “little more than a shuttle service from Birmingham to a London suburb” and that it would “become an international symbol of our decline”.
We also have huge sympathy with anyone entrusted with the difficult task of making the sums add up – we’ve been there and had to do that ourselves at the highest level. We know the challenges of delivering big infrastructure – whether it was Docklands or the Elizabeth line.
It is why it is with some reluctance we feel compelled to speak out about the rumours that HS2 is, in effect, going to be scrapped by cancelling the route to Manchester and potentially even the final miles to Euston.
It would be an act of huge economic self-harm, and be a decision of such short-sightedness, that we urge the prime minister: don’t do it.
How could you ever again claim to be levelling up when you cancel the biggest levelling-up project in the country?
It is difficult to conceive of a more damaging decision than cancelling a project that has been promised by six different British governments, and committed to in three election-winning manifestos.
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They say that, if Sunak were to promise to invest in Northern Powerhouse Rail instead, that would not be plausible.
It is simply treating people as fools to say that money saved in the coming years on HS2 can be switched to Northern Powerhouse Rail – the east-west line across the Pennines – in the following decade.
We are still many years from an agreed route, let alone the planning and legislation required.
Indeed, why would you believe a government that promised and then cancelled one high-speed line, when they come along and promise another one.
The costs would not stop at these shores but spread around the world. Other countries, including those that wish the UK ill, would know we no longer had the vision and stability to deliver on our promises. Without completing HS2, we won’t have the engineering base, including a skilled workforce, that we need so desperately for other big national infrastructure projects.
We still do not know when the decision will be announced, but the one Downing Street lobby briefing of the week is this morning (there is only one a week when the Commons is in recess), and Sunak is also recording a clip for broadcasters this morning where this is bound to come up.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9am: The Liberal Democrats start today’s conference proceedings with a debate on transport. Other highlights include a speech at 11.20am by Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP and vice-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe; a debate on scrapping the voter ID scheme at 2.10; a debate on housing at 2.40pm; and a speech at 4.10pm by Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip.
Morning: Rishi Sunak is expected to speak to broadcasts on a visit in the south-east of England.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
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