Warning shot at ‘apathy’ on HS2

Skipton and Ripon Tory MP Julian Smith, a Government aide, said Yorkshire “is not as excited as it should be” about HS2, and contrasted the relative apathy in the region with the “enthusiasm” across the Pennines in Manchester.

After many hours of impassioned debate, MPs approved the main HS2 Bill late on Monday night by 452 votes to 41, with all three main parties backing the project.

Only two of Yorkshire’s 54 MPs defied their party leaders and voted against the plan – Labour’s Barry Sheerman, the MP for Huddersfield, and the Conservatives’ Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley.

But a further 15 Yorkshire MPs – more than a quarter – did not vote at all.

Mr Smith, a keen supporter of HS2, called on local MPs, councils and businesses alike to get behind a project he believes will transform the region’s economy.

“I am not concerned that the policy will suck funding away from other transport projects –the £56bn of investment in non-HS2 projects between now and 2021, or the £600m going into the Northern Hub (upgrade of trans-Pennine rail links),” Mr Smith said.

“I am not worried about HS2 Ltd itself; we have a crackerjack team in (new chairman) Sir David Higgins and the whole management. I am not at all convinced by the arguments against the rationale and the cost-benefit of HS2. The arguments for HS2 on capacity and speed are pretty compelling.

“My worry is that Yorkshire is not as excited about the project as it should be.”

Mr Smith said HS2 represents a “phenomenal opportunity” for Yorkshire and the whole of the North, but contrasted what he said was a lack of enthusiasm within the region to the strong support from across the Pennines.

“There has been a lacklustre response so far,” Mr Smith told the Commons. “Wakefield Council has rejected HS2. In a recent poll, a majority of Yorkshire SMEs seemed a bit lukewarm. There has been little discussion of how Yorkshire can strategically maximise the opportunity of HS2.”

His point was emphasised by the failure of more than a quarter of the region’s MPs to vote at the climax of Monday night’s crucial debate. Some, such as Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg – the MP for Sheffield Hallam – had been exempted because the Government knew it would win the day comfortably due to the support of all three major parties.

A spokesman for Mr Clegg said: “Nick is a massive supporter of HS2, and has been one of – if not the most – vocally supportive backers of the project, as the only MP from a big Northern city who sits round the Cabinet table.

“With the commitments on their time, it is not unusual for very senior members of the Government to be able to miss votes when there is a very large majority in their favour.”

Other local politicians to abstain included all three Bradford MPs – Lib Dem David Ward, Labour’s Gerry Sutcliffe and Respect’s George Galloway.

Support for HS2 has been particularly muted in Bradford, with the council repeatedly questioning the scheme’s value to the city. However, only Mr Davies voted no.

“Those of us who object to HS2 are not flat-earthers,” Mr Sheerman said. “We know that our rail infrastructure must be renewed, but this proposal is deeply flawed and has never been scrutinised properly or planned properly.”

Comment: Page 14.