House will not back HS2 before election

The admission by Patrick McLoughlin would make it easier for Labour to go into the election arguing that the project could be scrapped or significantly altered without major costs.

Labour’s support for HS2, which is planned to run from London to Yorkshire calling at new stations at Meadowhall and Leeds, appeared to waiver last year although in recent weeks senior figures have made more supportive noises while continuing to warn there is no “blank cheque” for the project.

On the issue of whether the High Speed Bill will gain Royal Assent by the time of the next election, the Transport Secretary told The Spectator magazine: “I think one has to accept that perhaps through all its stages within the next 12 months is slightly ambitious.”

The Spectator reported that Mr McLoughlin said the Bill – which was published last November but is yet to receive its second reading in the House of Commons – will have “started its parliamentary progress” within that time-span, but when asked if it would complete it by the election, he replied: “No.”

Mr McLoughlin also suggested that voters will not get a chance to pass their verdict in a General Election on the equally contentious issue of new airport 
capacity for the south-east, telling the magazine that he expects construction work to 
start before the poll expected in 2020.

David Cameron took the issue out of the political arena for the 2015 contest by asking Sir Howard Davies to conduct an independent inquiry, to report after the election. The Davies Commission’s interim report in December found there was a need for one new runway by 2030 and identified Heathrow and Gatwick as candidates for further study, with an announcement later this year on whether a ‘Boris Island’ proposal in the Thames Estuary will join them on the shortlist.