September 24th 2023.
Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, was questioned today on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show about the government's responsibility for the proposed HS2 rail line.
Mr Shapps spoke of the high inflation caused by the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine, and how it has impacted budgets. He said, "Does this still stack up?" and that any responsible government must take these financial difficulties into account.
When asked whether the government takes responsibility for HS2 delays, Mr Shapps reminded that it is easy for people who don't have to make budgets to just say "carry on spending", but that it is not responsible. He went on to say, "We've seen very, very high global inflation that no government could have predicted."
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has previously commented on the project's 'out of control' cost, which has risen by £8 billion. It is thought the Prime Minister and Chancellor will meet to discuss the situation in the coming days.
Mr Shapps also discussed the difficult decisions the government must make on Sky News' Sunday Morning. He said, "It is absolutely right that the government looks at it and says 'hold on a minute, is this just an open-ended cheque?' We have to be more responsible."
No official announcement has been made about the future of HS2, however the decision to axe the northern arm of the high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Manchester is said to be imminent.
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