Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave a television interview on Friday May 31, where he said “every penny that would have been spent on HS2 is going to be spent in the North”.
This was a reference to last year’s announcement that the northern section of the high-speed rail route, from Birmingham to Manchester, was to be scrapped and the money redirected to other infrastructure projects.
Evaluation
Money saved from the reduced HS2 plans has been earmarked by the Government for rail and infrastructure improvements across the UK, including in London and southern England.
The facts
A press release from the Prime Minister’s office and the Department for Transport in October 2023 announced the cancellation of the northern section of the scheme and said £36 billion earmarked for HS2 would instead be redistributed to projects across the country.
This included £19.8 billion pledged for improvements in the North and £9.6 billion for projects in the Midlands.
The Government also promised £6.5 billion for the rest of the country, including improving rail lines in the south west of England, electrifying trains in north Wales, and money for the A75 road in Scotland.
In addition, £12 billion was promised to improve rail connectivity between Manchester and Liverpool.
In November, the Government announce £8.3 billion of redirected HS2 funding would be spent resurfacing 5,000 miles of road across England. This included £2.8 billion for roads in the south and east of England, including London.
The Government has not given any update to suggest those plans and costings have changed.
Links
Clip from interview with BBC North East, posted on X (archived post and video)
Press release: HS2 funding reallocated to projects across the UK (archived)
Press release: £8 billion to be spent on resurfacing road (archived)
