UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce his backing for a controversial high-speed railroad between London and the north of England, estimated to cost over 100 billion pounds ($129 billion), later on Tuesday, which could potentially lead to a Conservative Party rebellion in the House of Commons, domestic media reported
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2020) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce his backing for a controversial high-speed railroad between London and the north of England, estimated to cost over 100 billion Pounds ($129 billion), later on Tuesday, which could potentially lead to a Conservative Party rebellion in the House of Commons, domestic media reported.
The government is expected to announce its support for the High Speed 2 (HS2) railroad that will link London with the cities of Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds and cut journey times in half.
According to the Sky news broadcaster, a number of Conservative members of parliament, many representing Constituencies that will be directly impacted by the new railroad, could reject the proposal. As many as 60 Tory lawmakers are part of the HS2 Review Group, an organization that is opposed to the railroad's construction, the broadcaster stated.
The expected announcement has also drawn criticism from the right-wing pressure group TaxPayers' Alliance, who slammed the proposals over their exorbitant cost.
"This announcement is a massive blow to the taxpayers of today and tomorrow who will be left paying for the #HS2 white elephant with no light at the end of the tunnel," the group wrote on Twitter.
During an appearance on the BBC broadcaster earlier in the morning, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid refused to answer directly whether or not HS2 had the government's go-ahead, although he did say that the cabinet had reviewed the proposals.
"It was absolutely right that we look at HS2 again. Everyone knows the costs were out of control, it wasn't being delivered as expected. That's what we've done as a new, fresh government. We've reached a decision and that will be announced today," Javid stated.
High Speed 2 has been plagued by delays and issues since its conception in 2009. The project, which seeks to reduce journey times from London to Manchester from 128 to 68 minutes, was first expected to cost 3 billion pounds. On January 24, the National Audit Office stated that it is still impossible to estimate the final cost of the project with certainty.
