Housing Secretary hints he thinks HS2 should be cancelled

29 November 2019, 08:39

The Housing Secretary hinted to Iain Dale that he will be arguing for HS2 to be cancelled.

Robert Jenrick questioned whether the high-speed rail line offers good value for money for the public.

When Iain asked about HS2, Mr Jenrick said: "I don't believe in vanity projects. I believe in subjecting all infrastructure projects to proper scrutiny and that is what Boris Johnson has done in his first interventions as Prime Minister.

"I want to spend public money as wisely as we possibly can. Unlike the Labour Party, we believe there is a finite amount of public money that can be spent on infrastructure.

"We're actually going to spend a lot more than previous governments. But there is a huge demand on that, so we have to make sure we spend it wisely.

"That's why we've had an independent inquiry to look into it and come back with recommendations."

Iain asked if he would be arguing in Cabinet meetings for the high-speed rail line to be cancelled. His very telling comment: "You could say that, I couldn't possibly comment."

"I think you just did," Iain responded.