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The Prime Minister said the money saved from the bloated project would be spent on alternative rail, road and bus schemes instead.<\/p>\n
He said the decision to ditch the Birmingham-Manchester leg was due to huge costs and long delays.<\/p>\n
In his speech on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference, he vowed the government \u201cwill reinvest every single penny\u201d saved from cancelling the remainder of HS2.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cEvery region outside of London will receive the same or more government investment than they would have done under HS2, with quicker results. Our plan will drive far more growth and opportunity here in the North than a faster train to London ever would.\u201d<\/p>\n
The high-speed rail project was intended to link London, the Midlands and the north of England.<\/p>\n
The first part, between west London and Birmingham, is already being constructed. Mr Sunak confirmed that it will be completed.<\/p>\n
But the scheme as a whole has already faced delays, cost increases and cuts \u2013 including the planned eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds which was axed in late 2021.<\/p>\n
In March, the government said the line between Birmingham and Crewe and then onto Manchester would be delayed for at least two years<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> When the going gets tough the north can get stuffed eh Rishi? Paul Baldwin<\/strong><\/p>\n Transport Secretary Mark Harper, said the \u00a336billion will now be spent on projects \u201cpeople want to see\u201d.<\/p>\n In his first speech to party conference as prime minister, Mr Sunak said that changes to travel seen after the coronavirus pandemic meant that the economic case for HS2 \u201chas been massively weakened\u201d. The last official estimate on HS2 costs, excluding the cancelled eastern section, added up to about \u00a371billion.<\/p>\n But this was in 2019 prices so it does not account for the rise in costs for materials and wages since then.<\/p>\n The PM said east-west links were \u201cfar more important\u201d than those linking up the north and south of England. He said his plans would see \u201chundreds\u201d of alternative projects funded, such as building the Midlands rail hub, connecting 50 stations, upgrading the A1, the A2, the A5 and the M6 and building a Leeds tram system.<\/p>\n Mr Sunak said the money would help fund the Shipley bypass, the Blyth relief road and 70 other road schemes, electrifying train lines in North Wales and resurfacing roads across the country.<\/p>\n He also said he would protect \u00a312billion dedicated to linking up trains between Manchester and Liver-pool, although not with high-speed rail.<\/p>\n Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, said: \u201cEvery-body knew that HS2 had become an embarrassing white elephant and that the never-ending sums dedicated to it could be much better spent on transport infrastructure projects across the North, but no political leader would dare say it. Rishi Sunak is the Prime Minister who was prepared to say these things and then deal with them.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is the kind of decisive leadership that the public craves.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Conservative MP Richard Holden said the investment will \u201creally deliver quickly for communities rather than ploughing ever-increasing sums of money into a project which would just connect city centres up and isn\u2019t even going to be rolling until 2042\u201d.<\/p>\n Antony Higginbotham, the MP for Burnley, said: \u201cThe decision he took on HS2 is bold, but the right one. My constituents are more interested in whether they can get to Manchester Airport from Burnley without changing trains than whether someone can get from Manchester to London. It\u2019s these bread and butter things.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I get from Burnley to Manchester to go to university? Can I get from Burnley to Manchester Airport to go on holiday? Can I get from Burnley to the next town along to see my parents and grandparents and friends? That\u2019s the thing that my constituents are interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the Prime Minister said it would be possible to get from Manchester to Hull in 84 minutes on a fully-electrified line under the new plans, known as \u201cNetwork North\u201d, it is not yet clear what decision has been made on the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project, which aims to improve connections between Leeds, Man-chester and Liverpool.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Mr Sunak confirmed the HS2 scheme would still run to Euston in central London, rather than terminating at Old Oak Common.<\/p>\n Laurence Turner, of the GMB, said it was \u201cessential\u201d that the planned HS2 route was now protected \u201cso that a future government can reverse this disastrous decision\u201d.<\/p>\n Former Tory PM David Cameron, writing on X, said: \u201cToday\u2019s decision on HS2 is the wrong one.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will help to fuel the views of those who argue that we can no longer think or act for the long-term as a country; that we are heading in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n \u201cHS2 was about investing for the long-term, bringing the country together, ensuring a more balanced economy and delivering the North-ern Powerhouse. We achieved historic, cross-party support, with extensive buy-in from city and local authority leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s announcement throws away 15 years of cross-party consensus and will make it much harder to build consensus for any future long-term projects.\u201d<\/p>\n Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said there was \u201cfrustration and anger\u201d in the region. He said: \u201cIt always seems that people where I live and where I represent can be treated as second class citizens when it comes to transport.\u201d<\/p>\n And former Chancellor George Osborne said HS2 was \u201ca great opportunity to deliver for northern voters\u201d and cancelling phase two \u201cwould be a great tragedy\u201d.<\/p>\n On Monday, West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street said axing the Manchester leg would amount to \u201ccancelling the future\u201d and risk damaging the UK\u2019s international reputation \u201cas a place to invest\u201d.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4995149.jpg?r=1696490110929\")
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\u2018PM called bluff of the HS2 spendthrifts and brought the gravy train to a halt\u2019[POLITICS] <\/strong>
Stunned MPs discover train line will reopen after 66 years now HS2 is scrapped[POLITICS] <\/strong>
If you travel by helicopter you don\u2019t really need railways do you Rishi?[COMMENT] <\/strong><\/p>\n