So now there isn’t just uncertainty over Labour’s support for HS2, but also uncertainty over the uncertainty after Maria Eagle tried her best to deliver as upbeat a speech as possible about the high speed rail link. The Shadow Transport Secretary did deal with the issue, and she made clear that Labour’s support is now conditional. But what she didn’t do was suggest that Labour was questioning the value of the whole project. Eagle told the conference hall:
‘That’s why we support High Speed 2. And, unlike the Tories, no blank cheque for any government project. So, as Ed Balls rightly says: we support the idea of a new north-south rail line but, if costs continue to rise – and the value for money cannot be demonstrated, we will have to ask if this is the right priority for £50billion pounds.
‘So I say to David Cameron: get a grip on this project.
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