Five Labour mayors including Andy Burnham have warned failure to deliver in full on HS2 would 'leave swathes of the North with Victorian transport infrastructure unfit for purpose'.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and the Greater Manchester mayor were joining Tracy Brabin, Oliver Coppard and Steve Rotheram today in Leeds to issue a joint plea to the Prime Minister not to cut HS2 further.
Ahead of the meeting, they issued a shared statement to express dismay at the prospect of the UK Government scrapping the rail project's northern leg to Manchester. READ MORE: 'The north was promised the earth, but could be let down once again - it's madness' READ MORE: 'In the dark' mayor and council leader write to Rishi Sunak over 'massive ramifications' of axing HS2 to Manchester The joint statement revealed the five mayors have been 'inundated' with concerns from constituents about the potential 'economic damage that will result from any decision not to proceed with HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) in full'.
The statement said: "Investment in transport infrastructure is a huge driver of economic growth – creating jobs, increasing productivity and opening up new business opportunities.
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