Grant Shapps has said promises the government made to the North on rail are “absolutely being fulfilled” despite the eastern leg of HS2 to Leeds being scrapped and plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail being downgraded.
The transport secretary told Sky News that the government’s new £96bn Integrated Rail Plan for the North and the Midlands will deliver “faster” train journeys both earlier and cheaper than the original HS2 plans would have done.
But ministers have been widely criticised – including by individuals within the Conservative Party – for reneging on promises to upgrade links and instead proposing a scaled-back plan for the region.
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One senior Tory criticised the government for “selling perpetual sunlight” and delivering “moonlight” for people in the north of England.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The north of England has been betrayed.”
And speaking to Sky News on Friday, shadow Northern Ireland secretary and MP for Sheffield Heeley said: “For this transport secretary to pretend to the people of the North that they are delivering what they promised is quite frankly nothing less than an insult to their intelligence.”
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the announcement as “a much better plan” and said it was “total rubbish” to suggest he was breaking his former promises on rail connections.
What PM has said before about rail plans
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‘North of England has been betrayed’
Unveiling the new plan in the Commons, Mr Shapps confirmed that the eastern leg of HS2 will no longer go all the way to Leeds. It will instead stop…
Source : skynews
