Tory calls on May to scrap HS2 project

THE HS2 high-speed railway line “will bring tens of billions of pounds worth of benefits to passengers, suppliers and to local communities”, the Prime Minister said as she faced fresh calls from one of her own MPs to scrap the scheme.

Tory former cabinet minister Dame Cheryl Gillan, a longstanding opponent of HS2, called on Theresa May to “face up to reality” and cancel “this overpriced project”, claiming it would end up costing the taxpayer “more than £100bn”. Mrs May insisted the HS2 project was already spreading prosperity, encouraging investment and rebalancing the economy.

Speaking yesterday at Prime Minister’s Questions, Dame Cheryl, MP for Chesham and Amersham, said: “Every member of this House knows that drivers and commuters want greater investment to repair our roads and upgrade our existing railway services.

“Yet we are wasting money on a deeply unpopular project where the management has failed, the costs are out of control and which will end up costing the taxpayer more than £100bn – that’s about £300m per mile of track.”

Mrs May replied: “We recognise the concerns that people have about their roads, particularly about issues like potholes in their roads, which is precisely why the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made more money available to address those issues.

“On the question of HS2 – HS2 is not just about a high-speed railway, it is actually about ensuring we have the capacity that is needed on this particular route.”