Well, it didn’t take long for Rishi Sunak’s conference to be derailed by the fate of the HS2 rail link. Today reports began to emerge that Rishi Sunak would officially announce at conference that the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the route would be scrapped – ending over a week of speculation about his plans for the route.
The reports have been denied by Downing Street, with a spokesman saying that ‘No final decisions have been taken on Phase 2 of HS2’. But the news has already managed to create ructions at conference.
Most popular
David Butterfield
Most-read 2024: Decline and fall – how university education became infantilised
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first person to head for the soap box was Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who organised an impromptu press conference in response to the rumours, where he called for the government to ‘end the shambles’, saying ‘It’s no way to do things, it’s no way to run a country.’
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in