Johnson claims HS2 will prove to be ‘crucial’ to virus recovery
BORIS JOHNSON insisted that HS2 would be “crucial” for decades to come, as he marked the official start of construction yesterday.
The Prime Minister said the controversial project would help deliver 22,000 jobs and help the UK to “build back better” from coronavirus.
Speaking on a visit to Solihull in the West Midlands to celebrate the construction of Phase One of the route, he vowed it would generate “development and growth potential”.
Mr Johnson said: “I’ve got no doubt that mass transit transport infrastructure is going to be crucial, not just now, but in the decades ahead. This project is going to be delivering 22,000 jobs now, but tens of thousands more highskilled jobs in the decades ahead.”
Meanwhile, MPS urged HS2 Ltd, the government-owned company behind the scheme, to be more “considerate” to communities on its route.
Tory backbencher Jeremy Wright, who raised the issue with the Prime Minister in the Commons this week, said that HS2 Ltd had not “consulted adequately” with local communities.
Long-term critic of the project Dame Cheryl Gillan she was “still getting complaints” from constituents about “poor communications”.
The Tory Chesham and Amersham MP said: “HS2 Ltd have got a mindset which has lifted them beyond caring for the people that are affected.”
Despite Whitehall officials insisting the first leg from London to Birmingham was past the “point of no return”, Dame Cheryl insisted the Government could still change course. She said: “It would take bravery to do so but, ultimately, I think the economic implications could still halt it in its tracks.”
Stop HS2 chairwoman Penny Gaines said creating 22,000 jobs worked out at “millions for every job” given the projected £106billion cost of the project.
She said: “HS2 is so expensive and would fill in a big hole in their budget.”