Why a betrayal on Northern Powerhouse Rail won't be forgiven - The Yorkshire Post says

NPR is designed to connect the major economic centres and under-served communities in the North. The proposed high speed link between Hull and Liverpool has the potential to transform the region’s economy.

Nixing it or even scaling it back would be another example of the Government’s inability to keep its promises. It would also sound the death knell of its levelling up policy. There is an obvious need for the nation to balance the books after Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, which spooked the markets.

However, the region should not have to bear the burden of the former PM’s recklessness.

Markets are more likely to accept the need for infrastructure investment that results in actual economic growth. Where the Truss administration went wrong was cutting taxes without convincing how this would lead to growth.

Cutting NPR would once again highlight the disconnect between Westminster and the North.

The previous recession didn’t lead to work on the Elizabeth line being halted so why should the North have to pay the price?

There isn’t just a strong economic argument for NPR, there is also an environmental imperative to the project too. We need to get people out of cars and faster train journeys and better connectivity is crucial to that aim.

The PM can’t detach himself from the promises made in his party’s manifesto in 2019. It was pledges such as building a high speed link between Hull and Liverpool that helped deliver a landslide victory for the Conservatives at the last General Election. Abandoning NPR is a betrayal that won’t be forgiven at the next one.