We’ve had four Tory-led governments since 2010, and all of them have made bold claims about rail to the North.
But yesterday Boris Johnson shattered those pledges, scrapping a key part of HS2 and downgrading Northern Powerhouse Rail.
The HS2 eastern leg will no longer run to Leeds while only a section of NPR will be new high-speed track, from Warrington to Marsden.
And hopes of high-speed stations in Bradford and, once upon a time, Sheffield have all been ditched.
Labour said the Tories have “recommitted and re-promised” a northern rail revolution 60 times since 2014.
And Keir Starmer said voters are starting to “see the Prime Minister for what he really is,” adding: “He’s a Prime Minister who thinks he can make promises and then break them and there’ll be no consequences.”
Sure enough, Boris Johnson is trying to convince voters he’s an honest Joe - claiming it’s “total rubbish” to say he’s broken his promises.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps took it even further today, bizarrely moaning that complaints are from “largely Labour leaders who are completely misleading people”.
This is, of course, not true - Tory MP for Keighley Robbie Moore said the plan "completely short-changed" his constituents while Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh said: “It’s a white elephant missing a leg”.
And Conservative chairman of the Commons Transport Committee, Huw Merriman, put the focus on broken promises saying: "This is the danger in selling perpetual sunlight and leaving the others to explain the arrival of moonlight.”
So what exactly did the Tories promise on HS2 and NPR? Here are 13 of the most egregious examples of pledges that have since been smashed.
29 October 2013: Tory ministers propose a Y-shaped HS2 line via Birmingham to Manchester in the West and Leeds in the East. In the East, the line would stop in Sheffield Meadowhall and there would be a high-speed linking line to York. Phase One to Birmingham is set to open in 2026, with Phase Two in 2033 on an initial £32.7bn budget. The reality now: No HS2 stops in Leeds or Sheffield; Phase One is now scheduled for “around 2035”; and the surviving legs to Manchester and East Midlands Parkway are scheduled for the “early to mid 2040s”.
26 October 2014: PM David Cameron and George Osborne give their backing to ‘HS3’ - “a high speed rail link connecting the north’s great cities which could significantly reduce journey times across the region”. This later is named Northern Powerhouse Rail, linking Manchester to Leeds and possibly going further. The reality now: There will be no high-speed intercity link in NPR, only a high-speed section between Warrington, Manchester, and Marsden. The majority of NPR will be on upgraded existing track, saving £18bn.
20 November 2014: Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin declares: “We are already looking at HS3. An east-west line joining up the great cities of the north. From Liverpool to Hull.” The reality now: Northern Powerhouse Rail is mostly not high-speed track, and will not run to Hull - it will stop in York.
1 June 2015: After David Cameron wins a majority, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin goes to Leeds and says: “The argument has been won. HS2 will be built, the full ‘Y’ network, from London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, with construction starting in just 2 years.” The reality now: There will be no leg to Leeds. Construction on the eastern leg to East Midlands Parkway will only begin in the late 2030s.
15 November 2016: The government unveils updated HS2 plans. They will still build a Y-shaped line, including the Eastern leg to Leeds - although Sheffield will be left off the proposed route, sparking fury. A document says “HS2 will have a transformational effect on journey times, with journeys between Leeds and Birmingham taking just 49 minutes, compared to 1 hour 58 minutes currently, and between Leeds and London taking 1 hour 21 minutes.” The reality now: Leeds leg has been dropped and the plan is for Leeds-Birmingham to take 1 hour 29 minutes and Leeds-London to take 1 hour 53 minutes.
29 April 2017: After taking over from David Cameron as PM, Theresa May announces: “We remain absolutely committed to HS2. It is a very important infrastructure project for the country. It is important that we increase capacity on this mainline and I believe that HS2 is the right way to do that.” The reality now: HS2 has been cut back and capacity to Leeds will be hit as a result.
24 January 2019: Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says: “We must keep on making the strategic case for HS2 and work hard to win over the public about its potential benefits. Let me reiterate. We are committed to a second stage between the West Midlands and Leeds and between Crewe and Manchester, completing the ‘Y axis’.” The reality now: The Y axis will not be complete.
27 July 2019: Boris Johnson takes over from Theresa May after triumphing with Tory members. He says days after entering office: “I want to be the Prime Minister who does with Northern Powerhouse Rail what we did for Crossrail in London. And today I am going to deliver on my commitment to that vision with a pledge to fund the Leeds to Manchester route.” The reality now: There will be a Leeds to Manchester route but only about half of it will be on high-speed track.
13 December 2019: The Tories win a manifesto based on the pledge: "We will build Northern Powerhouse Rail between Leeds and Manchester and then focus on Liverpool, Tees Valley, Hull, Sheffield and Newcastle.” It’s notable that the manifesto does not pledge HS2 in full, instead promising to review the line. The reality now: While Tories insist they are building NPR it is not the high-speed line they envisaged. Birmingham to Newcastle will take 50 minutes longer than originally planned.
11 February 2020: Boris Johnson says HS2 has green light despite doubts. While he only commits to the line extending as far as Birmingham, with further lines to Manchester and Leeds up for review, he adds: “This is about finally making a rapid connection from the West Midlands to the northern powerhouse - to Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds - and simultaneously permitting us to go forward with northern powerhouse rail across the Pennines, finally giving the home of the railways the fast connections they need. None of that makes any sense without HS2.” The reality now: HS2 will only link up to NPR in Manchester, not in Leeds.
27 February 2020: Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson promises NPR will be a “new rail link”. He says: “We need to build new capacity. New rail links north to south, and east to west. That’s why we’re going ahead with both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail. These are not ‘either/or’ projects. They are both crucial to our future prosperity.” The reality now: NPR will mostly run on existing track, not be a new link.
10 February 2021: Despite raising doubts over HS2 plans and ordering a review, Boris Johnson tells the Commons: “I can certainly confirm that we are going to develop the eastern leg as well as the whole of HS2.” By now the expected budget has soared beyond £100bn. The reality now: The government as done the exact opposite of what the PM promised.
28 May 2021: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps promises full-fat HS2 but perhaps a semi-skimmed NPR: "We are going to complete HS2 and include HS2 on the eastern leg to Leeds. The only question that we have is how to better integrate that with plans which have developed a very long way since HS2 was first dreamt up all those decades ago. That particularly pertains to the northern powerhouse rail." The reality now: Both HS2 AND NPR have been downgraded.
