Politics

UK Tory Conference: PM Sunak Cancels Major Rail Link

OCT 4 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Prime Minister's Office/Flickr [via Wikimedia Commons]

The Facts

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the government would cancel the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the country's HS2 high-speed train project.
BBC News
While confirming that the London Euston to Birmingham leg would be completed, Sunak stated that he would be ending the "long-running saga" as the "facts have changed" concerning the price of the project.
Independent
The prime minister revealed that the cost of the HS2 rail link had "more than doubled" while claiming that the £36B ($43.8B) saved from canceling the route would be reinvested into projects in the north of England that would "make a real difference."
Evening Standard
Sunak consequently announced the "Network North" program, which will see further investment into existing transport systems. HS2 trains are still intended to run between Manchester and Birmingham but on pre-existing, slower rail lines.
www.ft.com
The speech also included Sunak's intention for a House of Commons vote intended to raise the age of smoking by one year every year, a reform of secondary school education to form an "Advanced British Standard," and a pledge to get the UK to net zero by 2050.
Inews.Co.Uk
The latest YouGov/Times voting intention poll places the Conservative Party at 24% support, compared to 45% support for the Labour Party. Furthermore, 30% of those questioned claimed that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would make a better prime minister, compared to 22% in support of Sunak.
YouGov

Sources Split

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The Spin

Right narrative

Sunak is more than aware of his party's decline in the polls and is now keen to focus on long-term decision-making to regain the public's trust. While essential long-term reforms to various public institutions are often synonymous with failure in the UK political sphere — predominantly down to a lack of will by politicians to withstand short-term criticism to achieve their goals — Sunak must pursue what he knows to be correct.

The Telegraph

Left narrative

The scrapping of the HS2 link between Birmingham and Manchester is a historic betrayal of the North and the perfect demonstration of incompetency within the Tory party. While Sunak may purport to prioritize the nation's long-term health over short-term gains, this decision achieves the exact opposite as Sunak looks to shore up support ahead of next year's election — a clear indication of where his priorities truly lie.