Northern Leaders Call on Government Not to Cut HS2 Further

Failure to deliver HS2 will leave swathes of the north with Victorian transport infrastructure that is unfit for purpose, the leaders’ joint letter said.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham speaks to the media outside the Central Library in Manchester on October 15, 2020. Photo by Martin Rickett-Pool/Getty Images

Five Labour mayors have called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to deliver on the high-speed railway (HS2), amid concerns that the project’s north leg will be scrapped by the government.

Mayors Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham, Tracy Brabin, Oliver Coppard and Steve Rotheram are travelling to Leeds on Wednesday to issue a joint statement and ask the prime minister not to cut the HS2 further.