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She said the controversial high speed rail link doesn\u2019t need to go to Manchester as she demanded more targeted transport investment.<\/p>\n
Ms McVey said she is pleased that Rishi Sunak is looking to scale back the colossal project to spare taxpayers cash.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank goodness that the Prime Minister is looking at HS2\u2019s spiralling costs, because what might have been feasible at \u00a337 billion really is not at \u00a3120 billion going northwards,\u201d the MP for Tatton in Cheshire told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings have significantly changed since lockdown. People will now sooner jump on a Zoom to save time and money. So it\u2019s the right thing to do and yes, stop it as soon as possible\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Prime Minister is saying that money, \u00a3120 billion plus for High Speed 2, would go into the local infrastructure across the North, connecting the great cities of the North from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, connecting all of those up, as well as giving better local transport, because HS2 is sucking the money and the life out of our local transport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her intervention comes amid reports that Mr Sunak is reviewing how the cost of HS2 can be \u201ccontrolled\u201d because the price tag of the rail project has \u201croughly tripled\u201d since its conception.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Three cheers for Rishi Sunak for his outbreak of common sense, says Esther McVey<\/strong><\/p>\n Home Office minister Chris Philp insisted on Tuesday that no decision has been made on whether to axe or delay the rail project\u2019s northern leg amid widespread criticism.<\/p>\n A growing number of senior Conservatives, as well as leaders in the North, have been warning the Prime Minister against scrapping the Birmingham to Manchester route.<\/p>\n Reports have suggested that Mr Sunak has been warned the price tag may have soared past \u00a3100 billion, even though the Government has already scrapped the Leeds leg.<\/p>\n The first estimate in 2010 of the proposed high speed rail link between London and the North was \u00a330 billion, with this raising to up to \u00a336 billion in the following year\u2019s prices.<\/p>\n Mr Philp said the Prime Minister and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are reviewing the project now the costs have \u201cgone up a lot\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s roughly tripled I think since it was first conceived,\u201d the policing minister told Sky News.<\/p>\n \u201cNo decisions have been taken about the remaining stages of HS2 but I do know the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are looking at how the cost can be controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Philp insisted the people of the North are \u201cdefinitely not\u201d second-class citizens, as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham claims they are being treated.<\/p>\n \u201cThe commitment to the Midlands, the North, the levelling up agenda is absolutely undimmed,\u201d Mr Philp said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat this review is about is making sure the costs are controlled and I think any taxpayer anywhere in the country would want to see that kind of prudence apply.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Sunak did nothing to quell fears on Monday that he is going to further scale back the project, which may now terminate in a west London suburb rather than in Euston, near the centre.<\/p>\n Former Conservative leader William Hague said that HS2 has been \u201cterribly badly managed\u201d and is a \u201cnational disgrace\u201d.<\/p>\n He told Times Radio: \u201cIt should have been cancelled a few years ago when it was clear that the whole thing was out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n But now that so much has been built he said there is a \u201cgenuine dilemma\u201d over whether it should go ahead \u201cto at least complete and make sense of the parts that we can still do\u201d.<\/p>\n But Tory former chancellor George Osborne and ex-Conservative deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine were among the grandees warning that scrapping the Manchester route would be a \u201cgross act of vandalism\u201d which would mean \u201cabandoning\u201d the North and Midlands.<\/p>\n Another ex-chancellor, Lord Hammond, told The Times the project risked becoming a white elephant if it was not finished, while former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said that scaling it back would be \u201ccompletely wrong\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 Don’t miss… <\/strong> A spokesman for Transport Secretary Mark Harper said claims he is unhappy about a possible scaling back are \u201ccompletely untrue\u201d.<\/p>\n Mr Sunak may now put back announcing a decision until the autumn statement in November.<\/p>\n Some have been concerned that details coming this week would cast a shadow over the Conservative\u2019s party conference which starts on Sunday in Manchester.<\/p>\n There have been indications he could announce a string of regional transport improvements in an effort to limit the political fallout, including bringing forward Northern Powerhouse Rail between Manchester and Leeds.<\/p>\n Downing Street said there is precedent to delaying aspects of the high-speed rail scheme because of \u201caffordability pressures\u201d, pointing towards high inflation.<\/p>\n Mr Burnham demanded Mr Sunak does not curtail the project and argued it would be a \u201cdecision of epic proportions for our part of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n The new US owners of Birmingham City football club joined a chorus of political and business criticism, warning that limiting HS2 would damage confidence in Government promises to deliver long-term plans.<\/p>\n The club\u2019s chairman Tom Wagner wrote to the Prime Minister to warn that the move would hurt Birmingham\u2019s economy and result in a \u201closs of investor trust\u201d, according to the Financial Times.<\/p>\n In October, the Government\u2019s assessment of the cost for the Manchester leg was up to \u00a371 billion.<\/p>\n Ministers said in June that \u00a322.5 billion had been spent so far on the first leg to Birmingham, while around \u00a32.3 billion had been spent on subsequent legs, with expenditure going towards labour as well as land.<\/p>\n All those figures were based on 2019 prices, so will have soared thanks to inflation alone, as the costs of materials and wages rose.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4978940.jpg?r=1695726036434\")
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