Boris’s rail betrayal is no surprise

A promise made is merely a promise waiting to be broken. If events complicate life for all governments it is nevertheless apparent some governments are more likely to abandon their promises than others. And by now no-one should be surprised that a government led by Boris Johnson finds it easier to jettison its pledges than to honour them. It is the nature of the creature.

Today it happens to be High Speed Rail, but yesterday it was something else and tomorrow it will be another thing altogether. The Prime Minister’s inconstancy is his constancy. Even so, the watering down of previous plans to – at long last – invest seriously in transport connections across much of the north of England is a shameless piece of promise-smashing and remains so even if judged by the Prime Minister’s lengthy form on such matters. 

Time and time again, Johnson and his ministers have promised that HS2 would run north; time and time again they have promised that so-called Northern Powerhouse Rail would be made reality.