Labour will not reinstate northern legs in 'appalling mess' of HS2

The project has suffered repeated delays and soaring costs despite being scaled back.

HS2 was originally due to run between London and Birmingham, then on to Manchester and Leeds, but the project was severely curtailed by the Conservatives in power because of spiralling costs.

The first phase was initially planned to open by the end of 2026, but this was pushed back to between 2029 and 2033.

Boris Johnson first cancelled the “Eastern Leg” to Leeds in 2021, before in 2023 Rishi Sunak axed the Manchester section, with Northern mayors describing this as a “betrayal of the North”.

Ms Alexander confirmed yesterday that the Government would not be resuscitating the legs to Manchester and Leeds, describing the project as a “litany of failure.”

She said: “It’s an appalling mess, but it’s one we will sort out.

“We need to set targets which we can confidently deliver, that the public can trust, and that will take time.

“But rest assured, where there are inefficiencies, we will root them out.”

The Cabinet minister said an interim report by Mark Wild, the chief executive of HS2 Ltd, who was appointed late last year, “lays bare the shocking mismanagement of the project under previous governments”.

She added: “He stated, in no uncertain terms, the overall project with respect of cost, schedule and scope is unsustainable.

“Based on his advice, I see no route by which trains can be running by 2033 as planned.

“He reveals costs will continue to increase if not taken in hand, further outstripping the budget set by the previous government.

“And he cannot be certain that all cost pressures have yet been identified.”

In 2013, HS2 was estimated to cost £37.5bn (at 2009 prices) for the entire planned network, including the now-scrapped extensions from Birmingham.

In June last year, HS2 Ltd assessed the cost for the line between London and Birmingham would be up to £66bn.

Ms Alexander said she is “drawing a line in the sand, calling time on years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight”.

The Transport Secretary claimed the word “affordable” was “clearly not part of the HS2 lexicon”.

She went on: “This Government will get the job done between Birmingham and London.

“We won’t reinstate cancelled sections we can’t afford, but we will do the hard but necessary work to rebuild public trust.”

Ms Alexander said the Government has accepted all the recommendations of a review into the governance and accountability of HS2 Ltd, led by senior infrastructure delivery adviser James Stewart.

She told the Commons: “Quite simply, there have been too many dark corners for failure to hide in.

“The ministerial taskforce set up to provide oversight of HS2 had inconsistent attendance from key ministers, including the then-transport secretary and the then-chief secretary to the Treasury.

“The Government has re-established the taskforce with full senior attendance, as per the review’s recommendations – and new performance programme and shareholder boards will offer much-needed oversight and accountability.”