Major Yorkshire businesses urge Rishi Sunak to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 in 'unprecedented' joint call

Senior representatives of Yorkshire Building Society, Provident Financial, Leeds Bradford Airport and Deloitte are among the signatories to the “unprecedented” letter, which has been organised by the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and is also backed by the CBI in Yorkshire and the Humber and the Institute of Directors.

Those who have signed the letter collectively have more than 50,000 workers in the region.

It comes as fears are growing that both high-speed rail schemes are at risk of expected cuts to major infrastructure projects in this month’s Autumn Statement.

The letter states: “The scale of the economic challenge facing the country is vast. However, it does present a unique opportunity to utilise the untapped potential of Yorkshire and the North of England and place it at the heart of the journey back to growth.

“Allowing this flourishing region to be given the opportunities it needs to play on a level playing field with the rest of the nation will help not only level up Britain but will contribute massively to bolstering the growth of UK plc. And we believe that the best platform available to achieving this is to commit, here and now, to a binding commitment to building HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.

"We write today to state that, with a new administration in place and with a fresh economic challenge, that this is the perfect opportunity to reconsider bringing HS2 to Yorkshire and delivering a Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme that will connect the whole country and ensure economic growth can continue for generations to come.”

Last November’s Integrated Rail Plan saw the original plan for the Eastern leg of HS2 between Birmingham and Leeds hugely curtailed to end instead in the East Midlands. A promised £100m Government study into how to connect HS2 trains to Leeds is still yet to begin.

The IRP also saw proposals for Northern Powerhouse Rail massively watered down from a £42bn plan to improve connections between Northern cities from Liverpool to Hull, up to Newcastle and down to Sheffield, with a full new high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford at their heart.

Instead, Boris Johnson’s Government said it would invest £17.2bn in a new high-speed line between Warrington and Marsden on the boundary of Yorkshire that would be part of improving the network between Liverpool and York.

As they currently stand, the IRP leaves the whole of Yorkshire with just two miles of high-speed line. The Government tonight said it is “committed to delivering what is in the Integrated Rail Plan”. More details on the future of Northern Powerhouse Rail are expected after the Autumn Statement.

Liz Truss promised that the full Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme would go ahead under her administration but following Rishi Sunak taking office after the disastrous ‘Mini’ Budget, the scheme is under review.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and the Prime Minister are looking for sweeping cuts ahead of the November 17 budget due to a funding black hole of £50bn, 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.

Liz Truss backed the line while prime minister, and Boris Johnson boasted of its achievement in his farewell speech from Downing Street.

But speaking yesterday, Business Secretary Grant Shapps, who was Transport Secretary when the IRP was delivered, defended what that document had proposed.

“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.”

The letter from the Yorkshire business leaders argues that investing in rail schemes will ultimately help the country’s finances – citing estimates that connecting Bradford to Northern Powerhouse Rail could bring £30bn in added growth to the UK and create 27,000 jobs.

One extract reads: “We write today to state that, with a new administration in place and with a fresh economic challenge, that this is the perfect opportunity to reconsider bringing HS2 to Yorkshire and delivering a Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme that will connect the whole country and ensure economic growth can continue for generations to come.”

Another states: “Both projects are essential to the economic, and environmental future of the country. As investments in the future, they create new and vibrant economic centres that will contribute massively to the revenues of UK plc, attracting inward investment into the country from across the globe.

“As business leaders here in Yorkshire we write today to offer both our unflinching support for their delivery but to also pledge to work with you in any way required to see them come to fruition. We are united in offering to help ensure their delivery and to cooperate with you fully to make this a reality.”

Mike Briffett, president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce and one of the signatories, said: “The Integrated Rail Plan’s conclusion to scrap Northern Powerhouse Rail and to not build HS2 to Yorkshire was greeted with widespread dismay amongst Yorkshire’s business leaders.

“As can be seen by the array of major employers that have signed this letter, the desire and case for recommitting to both projects in full remains undimmed.

“We hope that Rishi Sunak and other secretaries of state will agree that these projects represent massive opportunities for all of Britain and lend them unequivocal support.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We are committed to delivering what is in the Integrated Rail Plan and there are a number of options for how we deliver high speed services to Leeds, which the Transport Secretary is looking at closely.

“These vital projects will better connect communities and unlock potential across the North, with work already underway on HS2 which is supporting 29,000 jobs.”