Northern rail project must stay on track

THE late Roy Disney, a former senior executive at the iconic American film company founded by his father and uncle, had a pearl of wisdom which our Prime Minister should take careful note of in these challenging times.

He said: “It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

As Mr Johnson takes stock of the political landscape after the shock Chesham and Amersham by-election result and in the run-up to another important one, Batley and Spen, he needs to trust in his core beliefs rather than short-term political expediency.

Already he has been punished by the voters in Chesham and Amersham for his continued support for High Speed Rail 2.

Many of his own party question whether another transport link to London is really the right choice at a time when the pandemic has swallowed up so much of the available funds.

But the answer to this dilemma should not, however, be cancelling the associated project, Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), which is essential for the economic revival of the north of England and would finally link it up west to east.

The Prime Minister made a pledge to level up the forgotten communities and on the back of that the Conservatives won those red wall seats from Labour.

Going for a cheap option on NPR and abandoning the ambitious project would be seen as a betrayal by those communities who have placed their trust in the Conservatives – many for the first time.

We have no doubt that the Prime Minister believes passionately in the levelling-up agenda but he must understand that what is needed is profound change, not incremental upgrades.