HS2: Manchester's Fate Sealed

In my November 2021 blog titled 'HS2: Yet another betrayal to the North', I discussed how the eastern leg of HS2 was scrapped and the effects in terms of the North's value. Fast forward to October 2023 and PM Rishi Sunak, after days of rumours and deliberation, has confirmed the news. At first, the government tried to argue HS2 was going ahead but the Manchester to Birmingham line would not be high-speed and use the current railway. This is no different from what is currently operating and was a poor attempt at convincing the public that the Northern leg of HS2 was being amended as opposed to scrapped.

After constant questioning from the media, the government finally admitted that HS2 would not be going ahead to Manchester. They instead plan to spend £36 billion on 'Network North', transport projects all over northern England. They also proposed extending the Manchester transport network to Manchester Airport but this already exists, highlighting the extensive knowledge and research conducted into northern transport.

Scrapping Manchester's HS2 line is a broken promise and another indication of the government's lack of awareness of political issues. Manchester is a key city in the UK, and alienating us politically is a dangerous decision to make. Sunak's choice to host the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester and ironically announce the cancellation of HS2 up here is, quite simply put, a slap in the face.

I am beyond angry with this decision because it is not JUST cancelling a train network. It is removing millions of Northerners from the connected community that the South enjoys and involves leaving us out of crucial decisions and opportunities. The projected HS2 network would have allowed us to be better connected to London as well as the Midlands, meaning we could seek job opportunities, and move around more freely in less time. This decision leaves out Manchester and the North in the so-called 'levelling up' movement pledged by the government.

The government has proved yet again that the North is irrelevant and never a priority in national decisions. The concept of the Northern Brain Drain will continue, in fact, happen more rapidly, as bright minds from the North can see that all of the best opportunities are still in the South and not accessible from here.

The government is well-versed in the North-South divide and apparently wants to close the gap. But this decision tells me as a Mancunian, as a Northerner, that this is all empty words and broken promises. The government has said one thing and then done another, there is no tangible action towards achieving the Northern restoration. And as for those of you who believe the money will be spent on transport projects: HS2 was promised from 2009, and never happened, so you will have to excuse me if I do not believe anything else going forward. How can I have faith in the statements and promises when cancelling HS2 goes against that?

Rather interestingly in the political sphere, former PMs David Cameron and Boris Johnson have both opposed the cancellation of HS2. And they rarely seem to be on the same page.

#hs2cancellation #hs2northernleg #hs2manchester #governmentfailure #rishisunak #northernfailure #cpc23 #northernbraindrain

*Header photo is credited to Marcio Silva - thank you for sending it to the author! All rights reserved