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Former Prime Ministers have urged Rishi Sunak not to pull the plug on the HS2 high-speed rail link \u2013 but exclusive polling shows only a third of people want it built in full.<\/p>\n
The cost of the multi-billion pound plan has skyrocketed, but ex-premier Boris Johnson warned ministers are \u201cout of our minds\u201d if they are considering axing the Birmingham to Manchester leg.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe simply cannot afford to abandon this vision now \u2013 to panic, and throw up our hands, and say it is all too difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson\u2019s predecessor, Theresa May, also warned against scaling back HS2, saying \u201cwe need more railway capacity to serve the North West\u201d.<\/p>\n
She also opposed halting the line at Old Oak Common in North West London, instead of Euston.<\/p>\n
The Maidenhead, Berks, MP said: \u201cDon\u2019t stop at Old Oak Common. You need to take it into Euston because my constituents will be disadvantaged if you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Theresa May joins Boris and Cameron in urging Rishi Sunak not to scrap HS2<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, polling for the Sunday Express by WeThink has revealed:<\/p>\n \u25cf Thirty-one per cent say HS2 should be \u201cscrapped entirely\u201d with the amount spent so far written off.<\/p>\n \u25cf Thirty-four per cent say it should be axed once the London-Birmingham link is completed.<\/p>\n \u25cf Thirty-five per cent want the link \u201cbuilt in full\u201d.<\/p>\n In an interview, Mr Sunak gave his clearest hint yet that the Manchester leg would not happen. He said: \u201cI\u2019ve got under the bonnet. I\u2019ve seen what works, what doesn\u2019t work and what I want to do differently. That\u2019s the phase we\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n The PM added: \u201cWhat the North needs is connecting up all the towns and cities east to west. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Those who want HS2 to stop were asked what they wanted the money that was saved to be spent on.<\/p>\n Thirty-five per cent backed a faster east-west rail link in the North, one in five called for more arts and sports facilities in the region and 32 per cent wanted incentives for big companies to relocate to the North.<\/p>\n Thirteen per cent supported more autonomy and powers for mayors.<\/p>\n HS2 Ltd came under fire last week after publishing an \u201cequality, diversity and inclusion\u201d report.<\/p>\n One commentator said \u201cpeople in charge of this taxpayer-funded project have all too frequently seemed to be more interested in social engineering than civil engineering\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