Andy Street will not resign over HS2 cancellation
Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street has said he will remain in post, following the cancellation of the HS2 line to Manchester.
Street has told the BBC that he won’t resign from the party and that he’s disappointed but feels Sunak’s new plan is a compromise.
He said whilst he was “of course disappointed” he said to remember that the line will run from Euston to Handsacre where it will join the West Coast Mainline “so compared to what could have happened this is a good compromise position”.
Taking to Twitter/X, Andy Street acknowledged that “this decision will make me unpopular in some circles and indeed many wanted me to resign and make a statement against my party”.
He says however that he would always, “put place before party and staying as a Conservative to work with the Prime Minister and his government to continue the revival of the West Midlands is doing exactly that”.
“Do not forget that HS2 was never meant to reach Manchester until 2041, and so I am convinced we can find a way to get back on track”.
He promises that he would “never sell out our allies” in Manchester and remains committed to a “future high-speed link between our two great regions”.
In conversations with the Prime Minister, Street said he lobbied Sunak up until the last minute as he does believe “it is the right thing to do to have a line that provides a spine through the whole of the country”.
He also asked him to consider the offer of the private sector to think about how HS2 can be delivered well.
He felt an important part of Sunak’s speech was that he would welcome working with Street on improving links between Birmingham and Manchester.
“There’s a bigger picture here about the revival of the West Midlands and of course, rail continues to play a critical role in that”.
The PM also outlined a series of investments today, with Street welcoming a £1.75bn injected into the Midland Rail Hub aimed at improving rail links between the East and West Midlands which have been “appalling”.
