and my my right honourable friend's comprehensive announcement today will be widely welcomed across the west midlands and in birmingham, and nowhere more so than in the royal town of sutton coldfield. will he pay tribute to the superb leadership of the west midlands mayor andy street, and the case he has put which will underwrite our economic prosperity for the future? my right honourable friend is absolutely right. i salute the work of andy street, his vision for transport in the west midlands, and that will be supported, encouraged and cemented by hs2. supported, encouraged and cemented by h52. i welcome the announcement as far as

hs2 and the further project is concerned. can the prime minister confirm that there will be morejobs in the north of england if as well as building hs2 from london to the north, we also started building from the north of the south chris a final ambition, should you not agree that hs2 should go to scotland, which would help to unite the two countries? we will certainly get on with building hs2 already. hsz get on with building hs2 already. hs2 already does go to scotland, one of the great advantages of this project. the prime minister will understand that andy street and i tend to talk about soft furnishers because it tends to avoid argument, because it tends to avoid argument, because i am less than enthusiastic about the root of hs2, which neither connects with eurostar nor with birmingham new street, nor

indeed with saint pancreas. but, i'm delighted to hear that the prime minister has said that the organisation of hs i limited will be revised. would my right honourable friend agree with me that it is very important that as hs2 is now going ahead, that we also compensate well those people in my constituency and his who will be affected by hs2? those people in my constituency and his who will be affected by h52? the short answer to that is, of course. the confirmation that the full hs2 route has been given the go—ahead is welcome news, and there is a strong case for building the birmingham— east midlands part early. but if this project is to deliver on its potential for our region, we this project is to deliver on its potentialfor our region, we need assurances that the phase two bill will receive royal assent in this parliament, that it won't be delayed further or downgraded to cut

costs. will he give those assurances today? of course, we are committed to phase two, but she will appreciate that given what has happened in the past ten yea rs given what has happened in the past ten years with phase one, it is vital that we use this inflection point to make sure the taxpayer gets maximum value as we proceed. the right honourable lady for chesham and amersham, who is recovering from and amersham, who is recovering from a major operation, has asked me to thank the volunteers and donors from all over the nation who have fought against hs2 over the past 11 years. the last three years have given us a few lessons in what gracious defeat looks like. and while i remain worried by the environmental, financial and governance issues of this project, i really do wish it all the best. i was particularly pleased to hear what the prime minister said about the northern section, and the speed by which he needs to deliver that, and about buses and bikes.

can i ask the prime minister, if it is impossible to reg row minister, if it is impossible to regrow ancient trees or to get rid of congestion where there is congestion, can we please compensate communities by, for example, building the local hospital? what we can certainly do is ensure that where there is environmental damage, and we must acknowledge that there will be an effect on woodlands. we are planting 7 million trees, which is many more than will be destroyed. on balance, i welcome the news that hsz on balance, i welcome the news that hs2 has been given the go—ahead for the capacity games that benefit the northwest region, and for construction and real supply firms in my constituency, who i hope will winafairof in my constituency, who i hope will win a fair

of contracts for the project, my constituents will be looking for assurances that the unnecessary spur will be removed from the route. will the prime minister give those assurances?” have had representations on the spur from many people in this house, and we will be looking at that.” welcome the increased priority for northern powerhouse royal and the link from manchester to leeds in particular, but can i ask my right honourable friend... —— northern powerhouse royal. the spur is likely to cost over £1 billion of wasted money. the station for manchester airport absurdly isn't at manchester airport absurdly isn't at manchester airport but will be

built on ancient woodland in my constituency. my right honourable friend makes an excellent point. we will be looking at both of those issues. key to cutting carbon emissions and tackling climate change cutting domestic flights and moving people onto our railways. that is why the hsz onto our railways. that is why the hs2 announcement is to be welcomed, and building a third runway at heathrow is an act of environmental vandalism. will the prime minister 110w vandalism. will the prime minister now prove his credentials on climate change, make good his promise of lying down in front of the bulldozers, or more simply, cancelled a third runway?” bulldozers, or more simply, cancelled a third runway? i see no bulldozers at present nor any prospect of them arriving. local authorities have limited resources to deliver the new cycling

and walk holding —— walking infrastructure plan. could we pass those plans to a charitable trusts that are capable of implementing them? yes, it is a potent that we collaborate with them -- it is potent that we collaborate with them —— it is important. potent that we collaborate with them -- it is important. it is good to have certainty over hs2, but the prime minister has unveiled a raft of big spending projects. where is the money going to come from? the money is coming through the hard work of the british people, and this government will manage our finances prudently and ensure the economy is not wrecked, as the last labour government succeeded in doing. not wrecked, as the last labour government succeeded in doingm hsz government succeeded in doingm hs2 will connect with other lines at the station that will become every bit as famous as victoria or waterloo. old oak common will be neither old nor common, so does the

prime minister agree that we should name it may be after the first woman prime minister of our country quits back that is a brilliant idea. -- of oui’ back that is a brilliant idea. -- of our country? let's try that out on the mayor of london. the original hsz the mayor of london. the original hs2 vision was to serve and regenerate our towns, but in south yorkshire, our towns are facing all of the pain and none or very little of the pain and none or very little of the pain and none or very little of the gain. can i come into him the hs no concept, come up with by local campaigners, which has a plan, an integrated plan to help towns like doncaster. he makes a very good point on behalf of doncaster and we are certainly looking at the hs plan he mentions. the prime minister knows how bitterly disappointed my

constituents in staffordshire will be about the decision. could i simply ask him, when he is considering the question in review, to include phase two a two that part of the constituency that will be so badly affected because we need to have a proper link with hands a car to make sure that stoke and stafford are properly serviced. does he understand that and will he do everything to make sure we are kept in the review? absolutely. he has my full support on hand a car. given what he has said about reviewing phase two the, could he tell the people of leeds when he now expects the new hs2 station to open? people of leeds when he now expects the new h52 station to open? we will get it going as soon as possible.” congratulate the prime minister on

that. does he agree with me that the challenge we face in transport is not, as sometimes articulated, between local and national investment but that we need both? absolutely, and you cannot have the gain limit of one without the other. local productivity will not be boosted unless we improve connectivity across the spine of this country. i welcome the announcement today, but let's be clear, the question was written by the prime minister and his government, and it shouldn't have been written at all. under the terms of the review we are now seeing, can he ensure that the full benefits of npr and hs2 ourfully he ensure that the full benefits of npr and hs2 our fully integrated at manchester piccadilly station, and that no stone is left unturned in making sure that can happen? yes, i certainly can. infrastructure costs are frequently driven

by unforeseen ground conditions. can the prime minister remind the house of the commitment by this government to increase spending on r&d such as birmingham university, who were working on quantum technology to map those ground conditions? he is entirely right. the investment will not just drive the entirely right. the investment will notjust drive the construction sector, it will drive the economy across this country, including higher education. the last time i looked on a map, london, birmingham, manchester and leeds were all in england. can the prime minister explain why scotland and northern ireland get 100% bonnet rating while wales get nothing? wales will benefit from the crewe link. i might say that it is high time that the welsh labour government got on and delivered its own projects. if they won't do it,

we will. h52 is unloved, unwanted and has been grossly mismanaged. it adversely affects my constituents. does the prime minister acknowledge that this could be an albatross around this government and the country's neck moving forward, and doesn't it set the bar very low for this government and future ones? every great infrastructure project is opposed by the people at this stage. the m25 had people against it. crossrail. every infrastructure project is opposed at this critical moment. we have to have the guts and the foresight to drive it through. in london, i can travel across the entire greater london area on

two buses, up to 30 miles, for £1 50 p. in newcastle, that will barely get me four stops up the west read. will this funding bring north—eastern bus fa res into this funding bring north—eastern bus fares into line with those in london, or is this all bluff and bluster signifying nothing?” london, or is this all bluff and bluster signifying nothing? i would remind the honourable lady that bus ridership has fallen catastrophically under the current labour mayor because of his mismanagement of the system. crime has risen, and we will ensure not only that we drive down crime in spite of what the current labour mayor is doing, but that we have fantastic, cleaner, greener buses across the country. i welcome particularly the decision to treat northern hs2 as one integrated master plan. as this is

brought forward and the design stages brought forward, how will we ensure that local business leaders and communities are included in what is best in their area locally and in terms of this house peel —— high speed rail project. we will make sure businesses and communities are fully involved in the preparations for high—speed north. fully involved in the preparations for high-speed north. the devil, as the prime minister well knows, is in the prime minister well knows, is in the detail. can i cautiously welcomed the announcement on hs2 and the announcement about linking up the announcement about linking up the northern powerhouse. the prime minister referred to liverpool. could you give us some indication as to what he meant by that? that is at the next stage of the consultation. the government has ended uncertainty for those who want hs2, but will my right honourable friend the prime minister also end uncertainty for my constituents in stafford to have waited years for their houses to be

bought and for compensation to be paid? yes, we will dojust bought and for compensation to be paid? yes, we will do just that. bought and for compensation to be paid? yes, we will dojust that. i apologise to everybody for the uncertainty involved. can i welcome the commitment to hs2 and northern powerhouse rail. in neither case did the prime minister mention sheffield. would he confirm that the sheffield. would he confirm that the sheffield loop will go ahead as planned in hs2, and that the northern powerhouse rail improvements are notjust about manchester to leeds but manchester so sheffield as well? we are proceeding with the whole of the hs2 plan, but as the house will appreciate, given what has gone before, it is right that we interrogate the methods and costs as we go forward with phase 2b.” interrogate the methods and costs as we go forward with phase 28. i don't agree with the decision he has raced on hs2, but i respect that it was difficult and i am grateful to him for listening to both sites before he made it. now that it is made, isn't it right that

hs2 limited need not just to compensate isn't it right that hs2 limited need notjust to compensate more swiftly and fairly than they have but also communicate better than they have with those affected by the line? will he make that specifically part of the remit of the new hs2... will he make that specifically part of the remit of the new hs2. .. ? my right honourable friend is absolutely right. the record of hs2 in engaging in communicating with local people has been woeful, and we will ensure that that changes from 110w. will ensure that that changes from now. the prime minister said it was the snp that was standing in the way of high—speed rail to scotland, but it is his government. can he tell us precisely what year will the line be extended to scotland ? precisely what year will the line be extended to scotland? i'm delighted in the first place that he supports high—speed rail, that he supports hsz, high—speed rail, that he supports hs2, and the only obstacle to that great project is the deranged snp plan to install an economic barrier between the uk,

including an immigration barrier, for all we know, between the uk... between england and scotland. i'm delighted by the statement today. does my right honourable friend agree that not only does it support the growth in the north but the midlands as well, including the constituents and businesses of derby north? indeed, andi businesses of derby north? indeed, and i thank mao honourable friend for her support. you can go to the midlands and see the investment already flooding in as a result of hsz. already flooding in as a result of hs2. let's turbo—charge that now. already flooding in as a result of hsz. let's turbo—charge that nowm is funny in a way to see the prime minister come here to gleefully re—announce a project that he himself and his office tried to put a stop to. whilst he is in train set building mode, can i draw his attention to the wrexham to bidston line that would connect north wales and liverpool? and will he put extra

investment in there so we can speed up investment in there so we can speed up improvements? we will certainly examine the proposal that the honourable lady makes, and whether it qualifies under the beeching plan. calder valley has been hit by devastating floods again. the news about northern house power —— northern powerhouse rail is fabulous. can he assure the house that he won't wait for hszb to be approved? i extend my commiserations to the people who have experienced flooding. we know how traumatic a flooding. we know how traumatic a flood can be. but i can assure him that we will certainly allow no

delay in pushing ahead with all the branches of the project. the hs2 project, albeit some but that it mightwhat shambolic they handle, is great for england. it shows the co nte m pt great for england. it shows the contempt with which this government holds the people of wales. the budget for electrifying the mainline to swansea would be less than 1% of the vast sums talked about today, so will the prime minister commit to electrifying the mainline to swansea 01’ electrifying the mainline to swansea or will he continue to hold the people of wales in contempt? as he knows... as i havejust said to another honourable gentleman, the north wales will benefit from the line to crewe. we already have electrified the line to cardiff. we have electrified the line to cardiff, andi have electrified the line to cardiff, and i are trim to get onto his friends in

the welsh labour government and —— i urge him to get onto his friends in the welsh labour government and tell them to stop squandering money.” government and tell them to stop squandering money. i welcome what my right honourable friend has said today, but can he confirm that he will use this as an opportunity to embed the skills we need to deliver that infrastructure? yes, indeed, mr speaker. i remember working with my right honourable friend on that project and many others, and this will drive jobs project and many others, and this will drivejobs and project and many others, and this will drive jobs and apprenticeships for young people for a generation to come. i welcome his investment in the skeleton of the uk economy, the thighbone, the knee bone and the ankle bone, but he has forgotten about the red hand of ulster which has been detached from his plan.

could he outline what procurement and project opportunities there will be for northern ireland, including a commitment to a bridge between northern ireland and the uk which could connect the sinews in the arm? his comment is in stark contrast to those... redditch is only a short hop away from the hs2 terminus in birmingham, so we welcome the announcement. redditch is a perfect candidate for britain's first all electric bass town, does he agree? what a

brilliant idea. —— electric bus. we will be working with the metro mayors and will be consulting on exactly that. i am made up by this decision on hs2 and i support my honourable friend in doncaster north's comments too. can i ask him to look at their operator service option fund for underutilised lines? there are just two services on one line to leeds every day, so could he look at that and

make sure we make these underutilised lines better used? i would only be too happy to look at that line to see what we can do to assist. suck it and see, as they say. newcastle and the north—east need this infrastructure investment in both hs 200 northern powerhouse rail without any further delay, so can i make and immediately deliverable improvement to our national infrastructure that will ensure the north—east and newcastle are npr and hs2 reddy by investing in our east coast main line which needs urgent investment between york and newcastle? she makes an excellent point, and we are upgrading the digital signalling on the east coast mainline. the prime minister toke up —— spoke about the spying of the rail network. the upgrade to the west

coast line attracted businesses to rugby.” have looked at this issue and i am convinced that the existing capacity will continue to be extremely important and will drive jobs and investment in rugby, where he and i opened a fantastic new electric taxi factory. despite going under my house, hs2 will reduce journey times from manchester airport to london from manchester airport to london from two hours and 2a minutes to 59 minutes, opening up a plethora of opportunities for the poor people of the south—east for the great city of manchester. if he wants to level up and have a northern powerhouse, why doesn't he start building the line from manchester down? we

are building northern powerhouse rail as fast as we possibly can, but he will appreciate that that project is not ina appreciate that that project is not in a state of readiness compared to the birmingham— london route. in a state of readiness compared to the 8irmingham- london route. could we realise more benefits for towns in my constituency thought mightcan he confirm that the cheshire salt mines and the threat of sinkholes will be considered as part of the next review? i can certainly confirm that that will be considered.” welcome the announcement that the northern section of hs2 will go ahead because it will be integrated with npr. this country has been held back by inadequate infrastructure, as the prime minister said, so does he agree with me that northern powerhouse rail must include a city centre powerhouse rail must include a city ce ntre sto p powerhouse rail must include a city centre stop in

bradford?” powerhouse rail must include a city centre stop in 8radford? i thank her for the representation she makes on behalf of bradford. i see the point she makes and we will be consulting on that shortly. i welcome the announcement today. the prime minister has swept the leaves off the line of transport infrastructure investment in this country. businesses in crewe and nantwich will benefit locally. when it comes to bass investment, can we make sure local residents get a strong voice in where these new buses go and how often they go there? of course, it is vital that the expansion of local bus services should meet local demand. in my experience, there is no shortage of local demand in most parts of the country. hs2 is a dire reflection on this government's environmental credentials, with the destruction of 100 ancient woodlands and a miserably small modal shift

of just 5% of passengers who would otherwise fly or drive. the government figures show hs2 does not cut carbon emissions. if it is the go—ahead, should be required to meet at the very least the european average for high—speed rail modal shift, which is 15% for cars and 30% for planes. why doesn't it? we have just announced the biggest ever package in history for a zero carbon buses and possibly hydrogen buses as well. and hs2 is the most efficient way of getting around this country. will nothing please them? can i congratulate him on grasping the nettle and building the infrastructure in the north. part of the problem with the rising cost in leedsis the problem with the rising cost in leeds is because of the incompetence of leeds city council and the labour leader, who frankly couldn't organise an event at one

of the local breweries, putting this stationing and in an appropriate place stop could i ask him to look at weather station is located and make sure it is part of the review that takes account of existing rail routes and infrastructure? we will be making sure, as we go forward... let's be clear, we will be going forward with the whole programme and ensuring we get proper value and proper political leadership and grip of the whole project. for four decades, the east midlands economy has been losing skilled work, and that has caused extraordinary damage to our communities. this is a once ina to our communities. this is a once in a generation opportunity to reverse this decline and add skilled jobs to the community. can he assure east midlands people there won't be any unnecessary delay to hs2 b's yes, ican.

any unnecessary delay to hs2 b's yes, i can. can i ask him to look at the procurement process and make sure that our uk based companies get a real chance at getting the business out of this, and can it be done as quickly as possible so they can plan their procurement? my honourable friend has lobbied me personally several times on this very issue, and i can assure him that the plant in question and jobs in question will be uppermost in our minds. at the last count, hs2 was projected to cost the city of aberdeen £220 million. based upon that figure, with the prime minister agree that hs2 will be an economic disaster for my city? on the contrary. hs2 will shorten journey times across the whole of the united kingdom, including and particularly scotland and indeed as

isaid particularly scotland and indeed as i said earlier on, there will be consequential is following from the fantastic announcements we have made today and other modes of transport. thank you prime minister for your statement and vision. historically, scunthorpe steel has been used for many infrastructure projects such as hms two. should we be using world —class hms two. should we be using world—class seals such as the steel produced in scu nthorpe world—class seals such as the steel produced in scunthorpe for projects like this? most of our train tracks come from british steel, whether in scunthorpe or elsewhere, come from british steel, whether in scu nthorpe or elsewhere, and come from british steel, whether in scunthorpe or elsewhere, and we will do our utmost, notwithstanding the difficulties that that plant faces, we will do our utmost to ensure that that remains the case in the future. years ago we were not talking about the climate emergency. given the

landscape has changed in that respect, surely there government should be investing behind regional and subregional transport systems, buses and cycle systems on the level that the french and continental systems a re that the french and continental systems are doing. i have built more cycle lanes than anybody else in this house. even when it was not a lwa ys this house. even when it was not always popular, what i did was nothing compared to what we are about to do. this investment we are about to do. this investment we are about to do. this investment we are about to making buses is absolutely colossal and i am surprised that he finds grounds for criticism.” warmly welcome my honourable friend's attention to the spine of the country, but will he apply his orthopaedic talents to what should be the muscular limb that connects london to hastings, which will take longer to get to than the hour it will take to get to manchester in

future? my right honourable