PM ‘reviewing rail and infrastructure projects’

MAJOR infrastructure projects including a major highspeed rail line in northern England are being reviewed as Rishi Sunak tries to find £50 billion through savings and tax hikes.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps hinted Northern Powerhouse Rail between Liverpool and Hull would be scaled back from a grander vision for the project committed to by former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Downing Street was forced to deny it would be scrapping a commitment to build a nuclear plant in Suffolk as part of efforts to find savings ahead of the autumn budget.

Concerns that Sizewell C could be axed or delayed were sparked by suggestions from officials but No 10 insisted it is a “crucial” project and that it hopes to conclude negotiations quickly.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and the Prime Minister are looking for sweeping cuts ahead of the November 17 budget, as the Bank of England warns of the longest recession on record.

The manifesto the Conservatives won the 2019 election on promised Northern Powerhouse Rail between

Leeds and Manchester.

While in No 10, Ms Truss backed a full-fat vision for the line, pledging that expanded plans would include a stop at a new station in Bradford.

But Mr Shapps told the BBC: “The line itself can deliver a 33-minute journey from Manchester to Leeds, quadruple nearly the capacity of that line, and do so without having to wait an extra 20 years beyond the delivery of what the upgrade can do.

“There wasn’t really much point in going and blasting new tunnels through the Pennines. It’s not true to say we’re not delivering on what we said we would do on levelling up the North.”

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh accused the Government of having “crashed the economy” and then making the North pay for the fall-out.

“A lost decade of broken Tory promises has left the North with second-rate infrastructure, and rail services in crisis, holding the economy back,” the Labour MP said.

“Rishi Sunak told voters he would deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail, before abandoning it at the first opportunity. This Conservative government have no mandate, no platform and no plan - they crashed the economy, and now they want northern communities to pay the price.”

Downing Street said it remains “committed” to the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), which contains a less extensive vision for Northern Powerhouse Rail than committed to by Ms Truss.

And the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Transport Secretary Mark Harper is reviewing “a number of options” on how the ambitions are achieved.

“The Government is of the view that this approach will deliver those benefits sooner than under alternative plans,” the official said.

“There are a number of options on how we deliver those high-speed services to Leeds, for example, and the Transport Secretary is looking at those closely.”

Meanwhile, he firmly denied that Sizewell C was being reviewed after a Government official told the BBC: “We are reviewing every major project - including Sizewell C.”