Coalition claims that it is still committed to High Speed Two
THE GOVERNMENT was last night struggling to reaffirm its commitment to the controversial High Speed Two (HS2) railway project following a claim that it has been “quietly dropped”.
An anonymous Conservative minister quoted in today’s edition of The Spectator is reported to have said: “The project is effectively dead. The only thing keeping it on life support is David Cameron’s backing.”
Yesterday Cameron refused to rule out a third runway at Heathrow, seen as an alternative project to HS2. At Prime Minister’s Questions he said the government “must not be blind” to the question of expanding airport capacity and that it is important to ensure “Heathrow operates better”. But he also added that he is “keen to press ahead” with HS2. A Department for Transport spokesman claimed last night: “The government’s commitment to HS2 has not changed”.