Don't abandon HS2, says former Black Country MP

Speculation has been mounting that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to shelve the northern leg of the high-speed rail line due to rising costs.

Ian Austin, now Lord Austin of Dudley, was minister for the West Midlands when the scheme was first proposed by Gordon Brown's government.

He said the voters in the Midlands and North would take a dim view if the scheme was abandoned given the amount of infrastructure spending which has taken place in the south.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Lord Austin recalled meeting the then-prime minister in Birmingham to look at the potential of the new plans.

"Standing on a derelict site in the UK’s second city, we heard how the new line would bring billions in investment, regenerate the area and create thousands of jobs," he said.

"HS2, as it came to be called, was the first example of what is now called levelling up."

Lord Austin, now an independent in the House of Lords, criticised both the Conservatives and Labour for a lack of courage regarding the controversial scheme.

He said that miles of tunnel had already been dug in anticipation of the project.

Both the Government and opposition need to show some ambition and vision," he said.

"How can ministers tell politicians in northern Red Wall seats at their party conference in Manchester next week that they are scrapping one of the most important investment projects the North has ever seen, with a general election less than a year away?

"Labour, who ought to be standing up for investment and jobs in the regions, meekly say they have to look at the books before deciding whether they will continue to back a project launched by its last prime minister.

Lord Austin said one of the strongest arguments for HS2 was how it would reduce the number of lorries on the road by creating space for more freight to be carried by rail.

"While the scheme is wildly over budget, its cost having spiralled from an initial estimate of £55.7billion to more than £100billion, it promises huge economic and environmental benefits," he said.

"No-one turns a hair at multi-billion pound projects such as the Elizabeth Line, which – like HS2 – took much longer and cost a great deal more than had been planned.

"Yet when it comes to the Midlands and the North such projects appear to be viewed as optional extras to be dispensed with on a whim."

Lord Austin added that reducing the time it takes to travel between London and Birmingham Airport to just 37 minutes would take pressure of Heathrow, potentially reducing pollution in London.

"Improved access to the North would provide long-term economic benefits to towns and cities with high levels of unemployment that are desperate for skilled jobs in construction," he added.

Lord Austin conceded that the country faced huge economic challenges, with the coronavirus pandemic having left contributed to massive debts.

But he said HS2 was crucial to the long-term strengthening of the economy.

"Far from being one of the causes of our current crisis, HS2 is part of the solution," he said.

"Our economy is bedevilled by sluggish growth, a skills shortage and low productivity.

"We have high levels of unemployment in the major cities and a transport network that cannot cope with the needs of local businesses. The new rail line helps answer all of those problems."

He added that it would also send a poor message to investors around the world who had invested in Birmingham and Manchester on the basis of the line being built.

"To lose our nerve now will not only deny us these benefits but cause great damage to our international prestige," he said.

"What would it say about our country, the nation that pioneered rail travel with the invention of the steam train in the early 19th century, that we can no longer build a modern railway?"