Cancelling HS2 contracts to cost hundreds of millions of pounds October 5, 2023 Paying off contracts previously awarded for cancelled HS2 sections will cost hundreds of millions of pounds, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has indicated. He told BBC Breakfast that the cost of pulling out of the agreements will “broadly balance out” with money recovered from selling land and property acquired for the high-speed railway. HS2 Ltd figures [...]
HS2’s northern leg scrapped: What’s being planned instead – and has London been snubbed? October 5, 2023 It seemed unthinkable not long ago, but Rishi Sunak scrapped the Manchester leg of HS2 – and said it will be replaced by hundreds of new projects. The scrapping means everything past the London to Birmingham leg, which is already under construction, will be torched, with the PM citing ballooning costs for pulling the plug. [...]
Mark Harper: Transport secretary ‘proud’ of decision to axe Manchester leg of HS2 October 5, 2023 Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he was “proud” of the decision to cut HS2 north of Birmingham as he shrugged off criticism from Tory former premier David Cameron and ex-chancellor George Osborne. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his speech at the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday to confirm he has axed Phases 2a and 2b [...]
Sunak faces backlash from Johnson and Cameron over HS2 axing – as he’s reported to the police in Scotland October 5, 2023 Rishi Sunak has faced criticism from his predecessors in Number 10 for losing a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” by cancelling the northern leg of HS2. The Prime Minister defied senior Tories and business leaders to scrap HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester saying “the facts have changed” and the cost of the high-speed rail scheme had “more than [...]
Scrapping HS2 was a smart move – now bring on more bold action October 5, 2023 Structural reforms are one thing: cultural shifts are altogether more difficult. Many a football manager has learnt this over the years, where a formation change and a sprinkling of new talent in an under-performing club fails to make a difference because something in the club isn’t right. Creating winning cultures is hard. City bigwigs are [...]
Sunak strips HS2 bosses of London Euston responsibility: ‘There must be accountability for mistakes made’ October 4, 2023 HS2 Ltd has been stripped of responsibility for Euston station as there “must be some accountability for the mistakes made”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. Rishi Sunak used his speech at the Conservative Party conference to confirm that the high-speed railway will reach the central London station after developing a plan that will generate cost [...]
‘Done the unthinkable’: HS2 northern leg scrapped, Rishi Sunak confirms in Tory conference speech October 4, 2023 The northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester has been scrapped, Rishi Sunak has announced. The Prime Minister confirmed the decision to axe the route as he made his keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today. Sunak said: “I am ending this long running saga. I am cancelling the rest of [...]
Rishi Sunak refuses to say if HS2 to Manchester is being scrapped – six times October 3, 2023 Rishi Sunak has refused to confirm whether HS2 to Manchester is being scrapped six times while being grilled in a live interview. The Prime Minister insisted to BBC Breakfast he had “absolutely not” given up on the multi-billion pound rail scheme which has dominated the Conservative Party Conference. “We’ve got spades on the ground on [...]
Normal service resumed? CBI boss tells corporate Britain she’s turned the page on scandal October 2, 2023 Rain Newton-Smith is well respected in the City but scandals and questions over its long-term utility have left the CBI in a pinch
Sunak will be driving to Tory conference due to strikes (instead of taking a private jet) September 28, 2023 Rishi Sunak has denied that people feel betrayed by his wavering over the future of HS2, and he’ll be driving to the Tory conference, leaving his private jet at home. The Prime Minister, giving a string of local radio interviews ahead of the Conservative Party conference, did nothing to quell fears he is preparing to [...]