Tory Party conference – live: Agenda blown off track by HS2 furore with Sunak’s majority ‘at risk’

Protesters march through Manchester as Conservative Party annual conference begins

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The second day of the Conservative Party conference has been overshadowed by furious row over Rishi Sunak’s plans to delay the Manchester leg of HS2 – just weeks after The Independent first revealed secret talks between him and chancellor Jeremy Hunt to scrap the route.

The decision to delay the leg by seven years means plans for the rail line to stretch beyond Birmingham have been kicked into the long grass, The Independent understands, in a move that has sparked fury among northern business leaders and politicians, including the most senior Tory outside Westminster, Andy Street.

The West Midlands mayor called an extraordinary impromptu press conference on Monday evening, in which he urged the PM not to “cancel the future”, and refused to rule out resigning over the matter.

Meanwhile, further infighting – spearheaded by his brief predecessor Liz Truss – threatened to put Mr Sunak’s majority at risk, as some 60 Tory MPs signed up to her pro-growth group of rebels demanding tax reductions this year to “Make Britain Grow Again”.

Show latest update 1696261217Lord Frost joins chorus of Tories calling for tax cuts

Lord Frost, the UK’s former Brexit negotiator, has joined the chorus of Tory politicians asking the government for tax cuts, reports our policy correspondent Jon Stone.

“We should be moving towards a smaller state, lower tax, lower spend, I would like to see some tax cuts soon. I think we need to look again at the net zero programme. I’m not convinced we’re going to get that, but let’s wait and see,” he told a fringe event at Tory conference.

Andy Gregory2 October 2023 16:40

1696260490Analysis may ‘never’ be able to show whether Brexit harmed UK economy in long-term, says Frost

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports from Manchester:

The politician who negotiated Britain’s Brexit deal has said it would never be possible to say whether it it had damaged UK economic performance or not.

Speaking at a fringe event at Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Lord Frost said there was “so much going on” that his work simply could not be assessed in isolation. “I don’t think there will ever … it’s very difficult to disentangle all the causality of this,” he told Tory delegates at the annual meeting.

“I don’t think we’ll ever get to a point in say 2030, where we’ll be able to say Britain is underperforming and it’s purely because of the nature of the trade deal. There’s so much going on and such an analytical difficulty in assessing it.”

But Lord Frost insisted that “nothing has happened to global Britain” and that the “general perception that [UK trade performance] has been bad since Brexit” was wrong.

“I don’t think the figures bear that out at all,” he said. “I don’t think the argument that there has been a change in trade patterns of levels or a hit to EU exports is really borne out by the figures.”

When it was pointed out that one in 8 small businesses had told the Federation of Small Businesses they had given up exporting to the EU because of new trade bureaucracy, Lord Frost said he did not believe there had been no effect – but that it was small

“I think one has to keep these things in proportion. I personally have always said that there’s a small, short-run hit from leaving the customs union and the single market,” he said.

Andy Gregory2 October 2023 16:28

1696259345Khan: Cutting HS2 ‘catastrophic failure’

Sadiq Khan has said cutting HS2 would represent a “catastrophic failure” by the government.

The London mayor said homes and businesses along the route have now been “destroyed for nothing”, while travelling between Birmingham and London will “take longer than existing routes”.

Writing on Twitter/X, Mr Khan said: “Cutting back HS2 would be a catastrophic failure. Birmingham to London taking longer than existing routes. Euston homes and businesses destroyed for nothing. Wasting a huge opportunity for new jobs and housing. Nothing new for the North.”

Archie Mitchell2 October 2023 16:09

1696258653Smart people ‘don’t run away and cancel’ HS2, says business chief

Juergen Maier, vice-chairman of Northern Powerhouse Partnership and former Siemens boss, said the government was presiding over a “shambles” by allowing the uncertainty to go on for weeks.

He told The Independent that scrapping the northern leg was “economically irresponsible”, adding: “We are letting future generations down. Complex infrastructure projects always hit some problems. Smart people get round the table to solve them – they don’t run away and cancel.”

(PA Wire)

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:57

1696258592Labour reaction to HS2

Louise Haigh MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, commenting on reports and then denial of a government decision on HS2, said: “This fiasco shows the Conservatives are too divided and too distracted to take this country forward.

“After weeks of chaos and indecision on the biggest infrastructure project in the country, Rishi Sunak’s relaunch is now coming off the rails.

“This shambolic conference is showcasing precisely why working people cannot afford five more years of the Conservatives.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:56

1696257947Gillian Keegan confirms government’s plan for ban of mobile phones in schools

Gillian Keegan has confirmed the government’s plans for a blanket ban of mobile phones in schools, describing them as one of the “biggest issues” facing teachers.

The education secretary told the Conservative Party conference: “Today, one of the biggest issues facing children and teachers is grappling with the impact of smartphones in our schools.

“The distraction, the disruption, the bullying. We know that teachers are struggling with their impact and we know that they need support.

“So, today we are recognising the amazing work that many schools have done in banning mobile phones and we are announcing that we will change guidance so that all schools will follow their lead.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:45

1696257647 ‘If you tell the international investment community you are going to do something, you bloody well have to do it’

West Midlands mayor Andy Street has urged Rishi Sunak not to scrap HS2’s northern leg, despite reports a decision has been made.

Weeks after The Independent revealed the second phase of the high speed rail project would be scrapped, Mr Street said the PM “bloody well has to” keep it.

At an event on the fringes of Conservative Party Conference, Mr Street, the most powerful Tory outside Westminster, said: “Certainty is critical, it is an absolutely fundamental point and it is what drives investment.”

Mr Street highlighted the success of last year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games, which he said was predicated on eight years of infrastructure investment.

The certainty was “utterly consistent” across political parties, “and that is what gave investors confidence,” he added.

“The parallels with HS2 are blindingly obvious,” Mr Street said.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:40

1696257287How The Independent revealed Sunak’s plan to cut HS2 – and how the government reacted

The northern leg of HS2 has been scrapped due to spiralling costs weeks after The Independent revealed the prime minister and chancellor were in talks about shelving it.

The Manchester leg of the high-speed rail project has been pushed back by at least seven years, The Independent understands.

The revelation comes after The Independent first revealed top-level talks were taking place between Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt about whether to scrap parts of the high-speed rail project HS2, on 13 September.

The much-delayed and overbudget scheme was for a line linking some of the country’s largest cities, intended to connect London, the Midlands and the north of England, with construction split into three phases.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:34

1696256454Ministers say no cabinet meeting called over HS2

Kate Devlin, our politics and Whitehall editor, reports from Manchester:

Cabinet ministers say no cabinet meeting has been called over HS2 (yet).

The prime minister held an emergency meeting of his cabinet a few weeks ago, just before he made his announcement on net zero.

There is a feeling that he might call one during the Tory conference in Manchester – to rubber stamp HS2.

But cabinet ministers say that there is nothing currently in their diary.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:20

1696255837HS2 route mapped as northern leg to Manchester to be scrapped

After years of setbacks, controversy and spiralling costs, the northern leg of the long-awaited HS2 rail project has been scrapped.

The Manchester leg of the high-speed project has been pushed back until at least 2029, effectively kicking it into the long grass.

It comes after The Independent exclusively revealed that Rishi Sunak was considering ditching plans for the route from Birmingham to Manchester.

A source close to government discussions said that the prime minister would announce the northern leg of HS2 had been scrapped at the Tory conference – mostly likely in his Wednesday speech, though it could be brought forward to Tuesday.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 October 2023 15:10