David Cameron has slammed Rishi Sunak’s decision to axe the Manchester leg of HS2.
The former prime minister, who was in No.10 when the multi-billion pound project was approved by parliament, said the move was “the wrong one” and would be regretted by the country in the years to come.
In an apparent swipe at Sunak, Cameron said: “It will help to fuel the views of those who argue that we can no longer think or act for the long-term as a country; that we are heading in the wrong direction.”
Writing on X, he added: “All across the world, we see transformative, long-term infrastructure projects completed or underway. They show countries on the rise, building for future generations, thinking big and getting things done.
“I regret this decision and in years to come I suspect many will look back at today’s announcement and wonder how this once-in-a-generation opportunity was lost.”
Cameron was backed by his former chancellor, George Osborne, who replied to his post: “I agree.”
Sunak told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester that the £36 billion saved would be ploughed into a new “network north” project which would boost transport links and slash travel times to towns and cities across the country.
“Try and tell me this isn’t what the people of the North want”, he said.
But the decision was also condemned by Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester.
He said the change of plan made “no sense” and was “not coherent” and that it will add increased pressure to the existing train services.
“How can you take that plan and tear it up at a party conference?” he said. “Surely this should be done on a cross party consultative basis. We were not consulted.
“We were entitled to better than what we’ve had. This city was entitled to more respect than it’s been given.”
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “Is there anything more emblematic of 13 years of dismal failure by this broken government than their flagship levelling-up project that fails to even reach the north?”
Trade unions also hit out at the the prime minister’s decision.
Laurence Turner, the GMB’s head of research and policy, it “will send a shockwave through the construction industry and railway supply chain, costing hundreds of jobs”.
“The UK’s political instability was already holding the economy back - it will now be even harder to fund and deliver the new infrastructure that the country desperately needs,” he said.
“We can’t rebalance the economy or fix the railway capacity crisis without HS2. It’s essential that the planned route is now protected so that a future government can reverse this disastrous decision.”