The mayor of Liverpool city region, Steve Rotheram, said the move had killed HS2 "stone dead" and would "tie any future government's hands, and make the delivery of HS2 for the north all but impossible".
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, refused to commit to building HS2 yesterday, telling ITV News Meridian: "What I can't do is stand here, now they have taken a wrecking ball to this project, and say that we will simply reverse it. What I will say is we will work with leaders across the country to make sure that we have the transport we need between our cities and within our cities, and projects that can actually be delivered."
His comments came as the government failed to deny that HS2 would also not be extended to Euston unless enough private investment was secured to pay for the new station. "There is already support and interest from the private sector. Ministers have had discussions with key partners since the announcement," a government spokesperson said.
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