NORTHWICH’S MP has spoken out against Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap HS2.

MP for Weaver Vale, Mike Amesbury, says today’s decision, announced by the Prime Minister at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, removes  ‘a major plank’ of the Government’s levelling up agenda for the north of England.

Mr Amesbury also expressed concern for the future of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, which aims to improve journey times between northern cities, as elements of HS2 were integral to the project.

He welcome the PM’s pledge to keep bus fares frozen at £2 across England, but raised the issue of cuts to service levels, which he put down to excessive Tory deregulation.

In a statement released directly after Mr Sunak’s speech, Mr Amesbury, who was recently appointed shadow minister for building safety and homelessness said: “HS2 was symbolic of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda and a major plank of its investment programme.

“It was supposed to provide high-speed rail and increase line capacity, boosting connectivity and economic growth in terms of northern towns and cities, carrying more passengers, more quickly, as well as getting freight off the roads and onto rail.

“Yet again, people in the North are being treated as second class citizens. You will be able to get on a high-speed train from Birmingham to London but it’s a slow train along the stretch from Manchester to Birmingham on an already congested line.

“The PM talked about existing plans to improve east to west rail links, but regional leaders have been clear Northern Powerhouse Rail cannot be delivered in full without HS2 because the two programmes are designed to be integrated.

“Retaining the £2 single bus fare across the country is welcome but the problem is a lack of services. In fact, I spend a considerable amount of my time campaigning to save bus routes because of Tory deregulation and cuts, with more than 1,000 services lost nationally.

“What we really need is a general election and a new government.”