Sunak opts to cancel high-speed rail project

MANCHESTER, England — As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain took to a stage in Manchester on Wednesday to give his first Conservative conference speech as party leader, he seemed determined to cast himself as a man of action who would rebuild his economically depleted country.

But undercutting his claim to be a builder, Mr. Sunak’s most important announcement was that he would pull the plug on part of a costly high-speed rail project that had, for years, been a cornerstone of his party’s promises to “level up” the north of England.

The prime minister said the curtailment of the project, called HS2, was less a retreat than a redistribution of resources to better connect cities in England’s north with each other, rather than with London. He promised to build new light-rail networks, tram systems and upgrade motorways across the north.

“HS2 is the ultimate example of the old consensus,” Mr. Sunak said. “The facts have changed, and the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction.”

Yet the symbolism of shutting down a signature public works project at a conference that used the slogan, “Long-term decisions for a brighter future,” was jarring.

The prime minister spoke in a vaulted convention center that was once a Victorian-era train station. Adding to the charged atmosphere in the hall, Manchester was to be a prime beneficiary of the rail line, which would have cut travel times to the capital by nearly half, to just over an hour. Now, it will terminate in Birmingham, in central England, forcing the new high-speed trains continuing on from there to travel more slowly along existing lines that are already congested.

Mr. Sunak said the decision was proof of his capacity to make tough calls at a time of financial duress for Britain. His allies argue that the coronavirus pandemic changed travel patterns, making the project — with costs projected to soar to more than 100 billion pounds (about $121 billion) — no longer necessary.

It was one of a series of moves, including watering down the country’s net-zero commitments and championing the rights of motorists, in which Mr. Sunak has tried to rebrand himself before a general election next year.

Mr. Sunak now wants to be seen as a change agent with a populist touch as he attempts to persuade voters that he has something new to offer.