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Rishi Sunak has been accused of “trying to muddle the waters” ahead of next year’s elections after apparently reversing a controversial plan to scale back North Korea’s main rail network. .
Following criticism from the Commons Transport Commission and Northern leaders, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced it will reconsider plans to remove Bradford from Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and Leeds from HS2.
But industry insiders and sources close to northern leaders have suggested the move is part of the prime minister’s attempt to shore up votes in ‘red wall’ seats in the face of backlash over curtailment of both projects. “There is no new funding,” he said. .
It will be after the Boris Johnson administration in 2021 Watered down promises to fully fund NPR and ended HS2 link with LeedsThe move was partially blamed on then-Prime Minister Sunak.
Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, then made a U-turn and promised to build NPR outright.
But that slot was scrapped as Sunak ranked 10th to curb Truss’s massive borrowing plans that rocked financial markets.
In the latest move, the DfT has ‘re-evaluated’ its controversial decision to reject NPR’s plans to include a new line to Bradford, considered one of Britain’s most inaccessible cities. announced that it will do
Meanwhile, the government may not end HS2 in the East Midlands after the Transport Commission said the government had not adequately tested its options and omitted broader economic analysis. We plan to update the cost-benefit analysis for shipping to Leeds instead. It is the effect of “level up”.
But the move was met with skepticism from northern leaders and industry.
A source close to the northern leaders said: “The timing of this is good. Labor is fully under contract for the Northern Powerhouse Railway via Bradford, with HS2 arriving at Sheffield and Leeds. The prime minister’s team is blatantly muddling the waters before the election.” .
“Let’s hope they don’t change their minds again. It will be the fifth U-turn on this matter, because the people of North Korea deserve better.”
An industry insider said, “Before the next general election, this is just smoke and mirrors.
“The reality is that there is no new money, just a feeling of emptiness.
“The industry remains stagnant.
“It’s nothing different from what the prime minister said last summer when he ran for prime minister and lost.
“The real meaning is that we are just going in vain until the new government can actually decide what to do.”
Ian Stewart, chairman of the Conservative Transport Committee, said: “DfT’s generous approach to building a new station in Bradford, one of the UK’s least accessible cities, will allow further analysis of the traffic situation. I’m especially happy that I’m doing it,” he said. A range of different network options. ”
This came after HS2 Ltd’s chief executive resigned amid significant delays and cost pressures on the high-speed rail project.
Mark Thurston, 56, will step down from his £617,300-a-year position in September after six-and-a-half years at the head of the government-owned company.
HS2 was originally scheduled to open in 2026, but was delayed from 2029 to 2033 due to construction difficulties and rising costs.