Sturgeon and Burnham plot to force £3bn HS2 links to Scotland
NICOLA STURGEON and Andy Burnham are plotting to force ministers to spend at least £3bn on making HS2 services run to Scotland.
Ministers last summer culled a section of HS2 designed to allow Scotland to benefit from the controversial highspeed rail line, amid concerns that costs were spiralling out of control.
But it can now be revealed that the Scottish First Minister and the Greater Manchester Mayor have held secret talks aimed at forcing ministers to spend “at least” £3bn on a connection north of the border.
The 13-mile “Golborne Link” near
Manchester – designed to connect the new HS2 with the existing West Coast Main Line that runs north to Glasgow and Edinburgh – was axed last year as the UK looked for cost savings amid a ballooning budget deficit.
Axing the Golborne Link will save the Government £3bn but was widely seen as eradicating hopes that Scotland would benefit from HS2.
However, documents released in response to a Freedom of Information request show that Ms Sturgeon and Mr Burnham are pressuring Westminster to spend £3bn on an alternative connecting line.
“HS2 and connectivity towards Scotland” was top of the agenda in a meeting between Ms Sturgeon and Mr Burnham on Aug 24, according to the recently released briefing papers.
They say: “Given the direct importance of maintaining the benefits that the Golborne Link would have delivered for Scotland it is essential that the Scottish Government has a central role in the consideration of the alternatives.
“Scottish transport minister Jenny Gilruth and UK government ministers have exchanged letters to seek assurance of her officials’ central role in consideration of the alternatives and requested that at least the original £3bn budget for an alternative will be retained.
“Trudy Harrison, minister of state for transport, has confirmed that she has instructed her officials to make direct contact to ensure our input to that work.”
HS2 was scheduled to cost £98bn, according to the last official budget, making it Europe’s biggest infrastructure project. Parts of the project have since been axed in response to pressure from Tory backbenchers and party grass roots to shelve the high-speed rail line completely.
Although ministers insisted that they would look at reconfiguring the spur, the decision to axe the Golborne Link was a significant blow to Edinburgh’s hopes of benefiting from the project.
Other topics discussed by Ms Sturgeon
and Mr Burnham last summer included the “green economy and net zero”, “improving links between Scotland and the North of England, and the rest of the British Isles”, and taking forward the “Hillsborough Law”, a bill that would give families of those killed in the 1989 disaster at Hillsborough stadium access to legal help.
The Scottish Government said: “The Scottish Government has consistently supported high-speed rail, but not just to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, and we are determined that Scotland benefits from faster high-speed rail.
“Following the removal of the Golborne Link from the current bill and, given the direct importance of maintaining the benefits that the Golborne Link would have delivered for Scotland, the transport minister has sought and received confirmation from the UK minister of state for transport that Scottish Government officials will input to the consideration being given to the alternative.” A spokesman for Mr Burnham declined to comment.