Politics
Boris Johnson and the Treasury part ways with North’s biggest rail project
Jonathan Brady – PA Images via Getty Images
Boris Johnson’s rail “leveling” pledge to deliver a new line across northern England is threatened by measures taken by the Treasury to cut project costs, sources told HuffPost UK.
Johnson has pledged to deliver a key piece of the Northern Powerhouse Rail’s (NPR) £ 39billion plan – a brand new line between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford – shortly after becoming Prime Minister in July 2019.
Now, amid reports of broader Treasury demands to curb Johnson’s spending pledges, sources have told HuffPost UK of a “split” between the PM and No.11 on the plans.
It is believed that no funding decision will be made until the government’s long-awaited integrated rail plan is released.
But three sources told HuffPost UK that the Treasury is trying to delay the release of the plan to coincide with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending review in the fall, while number 10 wants it made public. as soon as possible.
A source close to the talks said she was concerned that delaying the decision until the spending review could mean “curtains” for a new NPR line, and possibly the eastern part of the HS2 high-speed rail link. towards Leeds.
The source said: “There is a division between No.10 and No.11 on how they want to do it.
“The Treasury tells us: let’s find out where we can identify savings on this project.
“And if you throw it into the spend review and look at the big picture as a whole, it gives them more opportunities to shrink some parts of it while pretending that they offer transformational connectivity.”
“But apparently Boris is adamant he wants to build as many as possible and wants to bring out the integrated rail plan as soon as possible in order to get started.”
It came as government documents Yorkshire Post leak suggested that authorities consider increasing funding for upgrades to the existing Leeds-Manchester Transpennine link instead of funding a new line, at a much lower overall cost of £ 10 billion.
Another source said: “The Treasury’s approach seems to be ‘how can we do it on a shoestring’.
“He’s doing his usual job, he doesn’t really believe in the upgrade program.
“From the start he wanted a £ 10 billion NPR project.”
They added: “Boris is committed to building the thing.
“Sunak has been captured by the Treasury and wants to be in this conservative space for sane money.
“Boris wants to be in this freewheeling transformer premier mode.”
Both sources told HuffPost UK that the Department for Transport has long believed that the main benefits of NPR could be delivered through upgrades rather than a new line.
“This would transform a £ 40bn plan to build two new lines creating a fast rail network from Liverpool to Hull, at a price reduced by the long overdue upgrades that only cover the cracks in what is currently a Victorian rail network, ”one said. .
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Johnson has been warned that dropping NPR would be a “hammer blow” to the north and communities like Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, where Tories hope to topple Labor in a crucial by-election next week.
A new line could benefit seat voters by reducing overcrowding on the existing Transpennine link that runs through nearby Dewsbury, while also providing a new high-speed rail from Leeds.
Henri Murison, Director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “In the Prime Minister’s first major political speech in Manchester, he pledged to build the Northern Powerhouse Rail across the Pennines.
“Rumors that this commitment will be broken are of deep concern to leaders in the North as they strive to rebalance the economy.
“The North was promised that HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail were completely abandoned now, just as we begin to recover from the pandemic, would be a hammer blow.
“We need to be reassured and certain that these rumors have no substance, which means an integrated rail plan released before the summer recess.
“We need a new high speed rail station built in Bradford city center and we need to start construction on the east leg. [of HS2] of Leeds to unlock the benefits of connectivity quickly.
“This includes obtaining more frequent and reliable services from the North East to Sheffield.”
HuffPost UK understands that the government has yet to make a decision on the rail link and that the document leaked to the Yorkshire Post outlined one of many options.
A No 10 source said she “does not recognize” a split on this issue.
Responding to questions about NPR on Monday, Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “There was speculation that we were going to remove Northern Powerhouse Rail and that is incorrect.”
But the spokesperson was unable to say whether the government was still committed to a new Leeds-Manchester line via Bradford.
A government spokesperson added: “The Integrated Rail Plan will soon outline exactly how major rail projects, including HS2 Phase 2b, the Transpennine Highway upgrade and other transformation projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, will work together to provide the reliable rail services that passengers pass through. the north and the Midlands need and deserve.
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