HS2 cancellation: David Cameron and Boris Johnson slam Rishi Sunak for scrapping rail link to Manchester

Two former Tory leaders have lambasted Rishi Sunak for his decision to scrap the northern leg of the controversial HS2 railway project.

The Prime Minister confirmed that the High Speed rail link would no longer be reaching Manchester during his speech at the Conservative Party Conference in the same city. He told the audience that "the facts have changed", adding "the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction”.

While he attempted to soften the blow by announcing that £36bn saved in the scrapping of link will be reinvested to improve transport elsewhere across the North and the rest of the country, Sunak was criticised for his decision.

Former Tory leader David Cameron, who backed the HS2 plans after coming to office in 2010, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Today’s decision on HS2 is the wrong one. It will help to fuel the views of those who argue that we can no longer think or act for the long-term as a country; that we are heading in the wrong direction."

He continued: “HS2 was about investing for the long-term, bringing the country together, ensuring a more balanced economy and delivering the Northern Powerhouse. We achieved historic, cross-party support, with extensive buy-in from city and local authority leaders across the Midlands and North of England.

“Today’s announcement throws away fifteen years of cross-party consensus, sustained over six administrations, and will make it much harder to build consensus for any future long-term projects."

Cameron said that he believed that the completion of "transformative, long-term infrastructure projects" would further "countries on the rise". He also added: “I regret this decision and in years to come I suspect many will look back at today’s announcement and wonder how this once-in-a-generation opportunity was lost.”

Another former Tory boss, Boris Johnson, joined Cameron, saying in reply to his post: "I agree"

As part of his announcement around transport, Sunak announced the launch of the 'Network North' scheme, which will aim to improve transport links between cities in the North. This includes plans to link up Hull, Bradford, Manchester and Liverpool, as well as announcing funding for bus routes and road improvements.

Sir John Armitt, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, also joined the criticism of the decision to cancel the line to Manchester.

He said: “High Speed 2 was part of a long-term strategy with clear objectives to link up some of the country’s largest cities. It had been planned for almost 15 years and under construction since 2017.

“The decision to stop the legs north and east of Birmingham is deeply disappointing, leaving a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy around which a number of city regions have been basing their economic growth plans."

Sir John added: “A High Speed 2 route between Manchester and London via Birmingham, alongside Northern Powerhouse Rail, would have enabled increased capacity and better connectivity both north-south and east-west. While it is welcome that the money will be redirected into rail and other transport projects for the North and Midlands, it’s not yet clear how the collection of schemes announced today will address the gap left behind by HS2.

“It will be for Government to show it can turn the schemes into a coherent, long-term rail strategy and deliver it in a cost-effective manner, in partnership with local leaders.”