HS2: Tories ditch £2bn railway to Scotland on day of confidence vote

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A £2billion rail link to Glasgow was quietly scrapped yesterday while Boris Johnson attempted to cling onto power in Downing Street.Tory Ministers announced on Monday they were removing the Golborne Link from HS2 which would have connected high speed trains from the North West of England onto the West Coast main line to Glasgow.

No back-up plan has been published for the 13-mile stretch of track with ministers saying they are attempting to "find a solution".The decision comes following a recommendation from the independent Union Connectivity Review, according to the government website.The review urged the UK Government to find different options to the Golborne Link and recommended both Scottish and UK government's work together.An announcement was made on the government website while the Prime Minister was looking to sure up support ahead of a confidence vote in his leadership.He eventually won the vote by 211 votes to 148.HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson made the announcement and said "we’ve left no stone unturned when it comes to working with our Scottish counterparts".He added: "Ahead of the government’s response to the Union Connectivity Review, we can confirm the government will look again at alternatives which deliver similar benefits to Scotland as the Golborne link, so long as these deliver for the taxpayer within the £96 billion envelope allocated for the Integrated Rail Plan."We will look at the potential for these alternatives to bring benefits to passengers sooner, allowing improved Scotland services from Manchester and Manchester Airport, as well as from Birmingham and London."HS2 trains will continue to serve Wigan and Preston, as well as Lancaster, Cumbria and Scotland."HS2 is a once-in-a-lifetime project