Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street speaks to the media about HS2 during the Conservative Party annual conference at the Manchester Central convention complex. Stefan Rousseau/PA WireConservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street urged the Prime Minister not to cancel the high speed line to Manchester as he suggested several major businesses could be brought in to invest in the scheme.
Speaking at a fringe event, he said: “If you tell the international investment community you are going to do something, you had bloody well better stick to your word.” Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he added: “I won’t let HS2 go without a fight. The offer to the PM is there – work with me and the private sector, grip the costs, and build Britain’s future.”
“Why on earth would the Government not be more honest about the fact that if you cut HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester, you’d have to put £15bn back in the NPR budget to avoid cancelling NPR as well?” he told a fringe meeting.The offer to the PM is there – work with me and the private sector, grip the costs, and build Britain’s future.“I think what I’d ask from the minister is a bit of honesty.