Civils contractors have described the UK Government’s decision to axe “the rest of” High Speed 2 as a “dark day for the entire UK economy.”
In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the cancellation of “the rest of the HS2 project.”
Commenting, Director of Operations for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Marie-Claude Hemming said: “This is a dark day for the UK economy, and for everyone who has placed trust in successive UK governments to level up the country and close the north-south divide.
“While the Prime Minister has promised to reinvest HS2 money in alternative schemes, we as an industry know how unlikely this will be to materialise and impact communities in anything like the game-changing way that high speed rail would have delivered.
“Britain now lags far behind our competitors and will remain so due to this short-sighted decision.
“That the UK Government can make such a decision without a democratic mandate – after the scheme has been supported by all parties throughout successive General Elections – frankly beggars belief.”
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PRESS RELEASE – CECA – HS2 Axe A Dark Day For Entire UK Economy – Immed. 4 October 2023