Minister insists HS2 will not be cancelled

TRANSPORT MINISTER Andrew Jones has rejected suggestions the planned high-speed rail line to Yorkshire could be cancelled after the General Election.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough MP promised there would be no back-tracking on the Conservatives’ commitment to delivering HS2 when the party publishes its manifesto.

Weekend reports suggested Theresa May was coming under pressure from Conservative MPs in the South to use the election to delay or cancel HS2.

Delivering HS2 was one of the Conservatives’ key pledges to Yorkshire in 2015, with David Cameron suggesting the stretch between Leeds and Sheffield could be built early.

Mr Jones told The Yorkshire Post: “HS2 is going ahead. Construction will be under way shortly, and that will be an important moment in our transport history.

“The government is committed to it. Suggestions to the contrary are incorrect.”

Former John Lewis boss Andy Street, now the Conservative candidate to be the new West Midlands metro-mayor, also pledged the party’s ongoing support for HS2.

He told the Birmingham Mail: “I am utterly certain that the Government is committed to HS2 and that’s the right decision. That’s about bold leadership.

“There will be many people in the Conservative Party who would say it is a good thing to not go ahead and I suspect the manifesto silly season is a wonderful opportunity for them to relaunch their idea.”