In a joint article with the Tory Mayor of Birmingham Andy Street, Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham has said that after people in the North gave Boris Johnson the keys to No 10, he must unlock the potential of the North by building the High Speed Rail Link connecting London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
“Johnson must get HS2 built, in full. Modern railways such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail are the single biggest means to transform jobs and opportunities for people in the Midlands and the north.” write the pair adding
“The possibilities are dramatic. Slash the time it takes to get between towns and cities and you transform the way people live, work and do business, creating a powerhouse of jobs and opportunities from Birmingham to Nottingham, from Manchester to Leeds and dozens of places in between.”
Supporters of HS2 have become increasingly nervous that Johnson is preparing to scrap part of the high-speed railway project and redirect the money towards other transport schemes in the north of England.
One Downing Street insider recently warned local government leaders that the future of the project, first announced in 2009, was “hanging in the balance”. No 10 policy advisers, including Johnson’s top aide, Dominic Cummings, are also sceptical.
