Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh described the decision to cancel the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 as an “insult” to the North.
Her comments came as MPs had their first opportunity to question the transport secretary on the decision in the Commons yesterday
Haigh said the prime minister “should take responsibility for the sheer chaos, incompetence and desperation” surrounding the announcement.
“Only he would insult the north with the back of the fag packet plan he’s announced in its place,” she told MP’s and said that said this was “illustrative of the sheer incompetence of this government” and “the contempt with which they treat the North”.
Defending the announcement Transport Secretary Mark Harper said that Network North will creates more winners in more places” than HS2 and “prioritises people’s every day journeys” adding that the benefits of the high speed line were “dwindling” after the decline in business travel post-pandemic and “risked crowding out investment in other transport areas”.
