Reeves slams Sunak for not having “guts” admit HS2 scrap in October budget

The shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has complained that chancellor Rishi Sunak did not have “the guts” to admit that elements of HS2 were to be scrapped in last month’s Budget.

Her comments come in light of reports that the eastern leg of HS2 connecting Birmingham and Leeds will be officially scrapped today.

The Labour MP Leeds West, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier today that: “We had the budget just a couple of weeks ago and the Chancellor found money to scrap air passenger duty on short-haul flights.

“Two weeks later the Prime Minister says that they are going to scrap HS2 going to Sheffield and Leeds.

“If you can find money to cut the air passenger duty for domestic flights but you can’t invest in our rail transport infrastructure, I just think that is entirely the wrong priorities.

“The Chancellor should have had the guts to stand up in parliament at the Budget and announce then that this crucial transport infrastructure that will deliver the growth and jobs that we need in the north of England wasn’t going to go ahead and yet those carbon-emitting flights will be increasing.”