Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said he will look at plans to revive the northern section of HS2 through private investment with “an open mind”.
Speaking at a Conservative Home conference in central London, the minister said he and Rishi Sunak had given a “commitment” to the Tory mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, to examine any proposal he brought forward – after the government decided last year to scrap the leg between Birmingham and Manchester.
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Mr Harper confirmed that Mr Street and Labour’s mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, had now commissioned a study into how it could be done through partnerships with business, following reports over the weekend.
And while the transport secretary said he was “somewhat sceptical” about whether the private sector could take on the project without cash from the public purse, he promised to meet the two regional leaders, adding: “I will listen to them.”
The prime minister announced his plan to axe the northern leg of HS2 during the Conservative Party conference in 2023, saying the “economic case” for the line had “massively weakened with the changes to business travel post-COVID”.
But he was met with fierce opposition from both Mr Street and Mr Burnham, with the latter accusing the government of treating people in the north of England as “second-class citizens”.
Rail minister Huw Merriman was also at Tuesday’s event, and asked by Sky News if he was as “openminded” to the private investment plan as Mr Harper, he said: “As a Conservative, I always welcome private sector investment in the railway.”
However, in what appeared to be a warning to the mayors, he added: “Our plan is clear. They might have something else they want to actually bring forward,…
