Clegg says HS2 critics
‘spectacularly wrong’
£50bn HSR2

NICK Clegg has launched a stinging attack on critics who “carp on the sidelines” about the proposed high-speed rail line between Yorkshire and the capital, dismissing them as “spectacularly wrong” about the biggest infrastructure project in a generation.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick CleggDeputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday emphasised the “compelling” case for the £50bn project, and threw down the gauntlet to Labour to make clear its support.

Mr Clegg said Ministers “very much believe” the huge project will come in under budget, dismissing concerns about the cost spiralling further out of control.

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His words came just hours after Chancellor George Osborne gave his own ringing endorsement to HS2 as part of a concerted effort by Ministers to fight back against its vocal opponents.

Yesterday the Commons public accounts committee warned the business case for HS2 is based upon “fragile numbers”. Its report followed speculation Labour is considering dropping its support.

But in pointed comments, Mr Clegg said politicians must show the “political leadership” to invest in Britain’s long-term future.

“You always get people who, from the sidelines, carp and say ‘no, it shouldn’t be done’,” the Lib Dem leader said. “I think they are spectacularly wrong.”

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Mr Clegg said he hoped Labour “will not buckle, will not dither,” but would “stay the course for the sake of the country”.

Earlier, Mr Osborne promised HS2 will “transform the economic geography” of Britain and “spread prosperity to the North”, in a major speech on the economy.

Austerity paying off: Page 4; Uneasy bedfellows: Page 11.