British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rules out major high-speed rail link; Plans to quit smoking

MANCHESTER, England – U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a raft of new policies aimed at shoring up waning support for his Conservative Party ahead of next year’s general election.

The measures included an early but controversial decision to scrap the northern leg of an HS2 high-speed rail network planned to connect industry across the country.

Sunak took advantage of the decision to position himself as the candidate for change, saying he would “fundamentally change” the country.

“HS2 is the definitive example of the old consensus: the result of a project whose costs have more than doubled, whose economic case has been greatly weakened by changes in post-Covid travel,” he said, delivering his keynote speech at Closing of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England.

“The facts have changed. The right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction,” he said.

Other measures were also announced to combat smoking, curb illegal immigration and reform the education system.

Sunak confirmed speculation that the government would scrap the HS2 high-speed rail route between Birmingham and Manchester amid rising costs, and said money for the project – around £36 billion ($43.8 billion) – would be would reinvest in other regional transport links.

HS2 received a budget of £55.7 billion in 2015, but costs have soared since then, reaching an estimated £98 billion in 2020. Since then, rising inflation has pushed costs up even further.

“For the first time in the life of this project, we will have reduced costs,” Sunak said. “There is nothing ambitious about simply investing more and more money in the same project.”

“For too long, Westminster has invested in the projects they want, not the projects the rest of the country wants and needs,” he added, revealing plans for alternative investment in “Northern Network” transport for local lines.

Critics from both sides of the political spectrum have accused the prime minister of stifling the country’s long-term prospects for the sake of short-term political gains.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who has played a key role in boosting the Conservatives’ position in the region, said Sunak was “cancel the future” and has reportedly considered resigning over the decision.

Andy Burnham, the Labor mayor of Greater Manchester, told the BBC that Sunak was treating the north like “second-class citizens”. Construction of the London to Birmingham section of the route is already underway.

The move also deals a blow to investors with exposure to the infrastructure project, including the construction company. Kier Groupwhich last month bought a company that owned HS2 and other rail contracts.

Separately, Sunak announced a plan to raise the smoking age by one year each year, while restricting the availability of vapes for children.

“As conservatives, measures that restrict choice are never easy,” he said, while insisting that the measure would reduce the leading cause of preventable death.

The plans, if approved, will likely hit sales at tobacco companies, including Tobacco from Japan and imperial markswhich count the United Kingdom as an important market.

Sunak also unveiled a review of A and T levels, studied by 16- to 19-year-olds, under a new advanced British standard. The measures will expand the number of hours students spend in classrooms and increase the number of subjects they study to include compulsory English and maths.

Sunak described education reform as essential to reducing inequality and improving livelihoods, describing it as “the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy”.

The measures come as the ruling Conservatives, 13 years in power, are 20 points behind the opposition Labor Party in the polls, raising the risks of a potentially agonizing defeat in next year’s general election.

Sunak intended to use the conference to strengthen support among party members and the wider electorate ahead of next year’s general election, unveiling a new campaign slogan: “Long-term decisions for a better future”.

In fact, in his speech he attempted to position himself as the candidate for change, saying, “politics just doesn’t work the way it should,” and adding, “I will lead in a different way.”

However, the growing discord between radical factions Within his conservative party he has dominated the event, dealing a severe blow to his leadership.

Meanwhile, opinion polls suggest the public think Sunak is failing to deliver. five key priorities: halve inflation; grow the economy; lower public debt; reduce NHS waiting lists; and prevent small migrant boats from reaching the country.

According to an Ipsos survey published on Wednesday, almost three-quarters (71%) think Sunak is doing a poor job of reducing NHS waiting lists, while almost two-thirds (63%) think he is failing to ease the cost of living amid of still high inflation.

“Either you think this country needs to change or you don’t,” Sunak said in an apparent nod to current public sentiment.

“If they do, they should support me and everyone in this room. They should support the conservatives. It’s time for a change and that’s it,” he added.