HS2 more important than ever before, says West Midlands Mayor

Andy Street hit back at calls for the budget-busting line to be axed, after Tory MPs argued its was not viable in the face of tax hikes announced in the Chancellor's autumn statement.

Mr Street said the country's perilous financial position had served to increase the route's importance, describing it as a "critical piece of the levelling up agenda" that would benefit the West Midlands most.

Conservative MPs including Sir Bill Cash and Michael Fabricant are among those to have urged ministers to scrap HS2, which ploughs through 45 miles of Staffordshire countryside and is predicted to cost £155billion.

Mr Street said it was "correct" to say the line had become more important than ever to the West Midlands.

"I'm sure HS2 will have been examined [in advance of the autumn statement], but every time HS2 is looked at the business case stands up," he said. "The reason for that is it gives a reliable, fast and green transport spine to the whole country.

"The West Midlands stands right in the middle of it all to benefit the most from it.

"This is a critical piece of the levelling up agenda, which is why I have consistently argued for it."

In his statement to the Commons last week Mr Hunt confirmed that HS2 would go ahead, ending speculation that the northern section of the route may be placed under review.

It drew criticism from Stone MP Sir Bill Cash, who said it was in the "national interest" to review the line. Mr Hunt conceded that the ballooning budget for HS2 was "disappointing", and added: "There is a bigger issue about the way that we do infrastructure projects: it takes too long, and the budgets therefore get out of control.

"We are just not very good at it, and we have to sort it out."