Gary as you say there's been a shortage
of Tories critical of this plan but
there was a sense today rather a subdued
Aaron house governs when Boris Johnson
made his announcement that they were
giving up the battle he's a newly
elected prime minister with a fat
majority who's determined to do this and
you sense that the fire has gone out
from most of that campaign as far as
Tory MPs are concerned doesn't stop me
being critical though they're saying
what on earth are we doing running a
high-speed rail link between labor
cities and charging it through Tory
towns Boris Johnson's trying to address
concerns like that by putting money
elsewhere not just into hs2 today he
stole some of the Chancellor's thunder
from his budget announcements by
announcing other transport stuff that's
going to be unveiled fairly soon he's
doing that trying to suggest that hs2
he's not going to gobble up all the
money that is available he's also trying
to take on the criticism that this is a
project hs2 where the costs are wildly
out of control he's gonna say he's
putting new cost controls in there in
some cases new management but is
definitely happening now is that after a
long period the button is finally be
impressed on this what is the biggest
infrastructure project in Europe
Horace Johnson visited the Birmingham
end of the high-speed rail link he'd
promised a boom in infrastructure
spending a leveling up to help the
former labor seats that backed him in
December HS twos but it was he admitted
spiraling and badly managed dumping it
would send the wrong message this
government will deliver a new anatomy of
British Transport a revolution in this
nation's public transport provision and
a sign to the world that in the 21st
century this United Kingdom still has
the vision to dream big dreams and the
courage to bring those dreams about a
new train map is promised with a
high-speed rail link from London to
Birmingham then HS to a on to Manchester
NHS to be to Leeds they got the go-ahead
to but subject to reviews to get costs
down an independent report released
today shows how the estimated bills gone
up from 56 to 88 billion pounds and
could we'll end up 20% higher than that
today mr. speaker the cabinet has given
high speed rail the green signal we are
going to get this done and to ensure
that we do so without further blowouts
or either cost or schedule we are today
taking decisive action to restore
discipline to the programme at the other
end of the line they're clearing land
for platforms at London Euston the Prime
Minister said a dedicated Minister would
now watch over hs2 and parts of the
project would be under new management
train numbers and speeds could be
trimmed back to save money the pause
button Boris Johnson pressed in the
summer is off after a decade of launches
and false starts a new north-south
high-speed line in the next five years
the first works of a new high-speed rail
network should be done central London to
within 49 minutes of Birmingham this
first high-speed network
I'm announcing today if you want to get
onboard the high-speed revolution you
got to start planning that legislation
will be introduced to enable the
building of the high speed 2 railway
line thank you for me hs2 is going ahead
the responsible thing to do is to really
look at it and say is this actually
gonna stack up the Labour leader said
Boris Johnson was running away with the
labor policy once again we see the
government taking ideas from the Labour
Party
[Applause]
adopting our language but falling very
long way short on the substance of it
the Prime Minister announced a wave of
transport investment initiatives to help
towns that feel hs2 benefits cities and
not them the biggest benefit hs2 backers
say is easing congestion on the existing
tracks something that will only get
worse without new lines protesters at
denim in became shut tried to slow down
a digger at an hs2 construction site
today many Tory critics in Parliament
folded their tents and admitted defeat
some won't go so quietly well earlier I
spoke to the Prime Minister on behalf of
all UK broadcasters and I began by
asking if his chief adviser Dominic
Cummings who once described hs2 as a
disaster zone was wrong about it this is
a fantastic project for the country it
delivers massive increase in capacity
for rail up from north to south from
south to north and then it allows us to
go forward and develop northern
powerhouse rail which was exactly what
is needed you need connectivity
east-west in the north that's the
crucial thing you can't make sense of
that without a chest tube so we're gonna
go here the taxpro though will receive
only 60 P for every pound spent
that's hardly valued money is it do not
forget cabbie but though Treasury if
they had got their way would have
stopped the m25 the Treasury would never
have allowed the channel tunnel to go
ahead HS to actually has a better
business case today than the end 25 had
back then everybody always tries to stop
big infrastructure projects at
roundabouts this moment I remember when
I was when I was mayor of London about
10 years ago 12 years ago they tried to
stop cross rail they came to the
treasurer he came to us and said stop
talking about cross rail this gigantic
trench under the middle of London
you know the money could be better spent
on other things you should do the tube
upgrades we said no you've got to do
both you talked about buses and a five
billion bus and cycling in Venice but
actually since the Conservatives first
came to power you've cut three thousand
routes investment in bus services has
almost half do you was that a mistake
well when I was married London we saw a
huge increase in in buses and bus
ridership I'm a passive massive believer
in buses and what they can do to change
people's lives and III come at this from
from that perspective I think if you're
living in a town or a rural area which
as you as you say has seen falling away
in its bus service and and they have
over over decades now's the time to
recognize that clean green buses not
only help to get cars off the roads
reduce congestion reduce pollution they
also give an opportunity to people to
get to places of work and they can
totally transform live so I'm a massive
believer in buses and that's why we're
making this investment now and they will
be built in the UK you've overruled the
objections of your chief adviser Dominic
Cummings on HST does he now know who's
boss well the government this morning
took a collective cabinet decision and I
didn't I it was it was you nervous I
didn't hear a people dissent I knew
those of a couple of random remarks of
about you know how to make it even
better but everybody agreed the Prime
Minister speaking to me earlier well the
impact of the new rail line has been
greeted with dismay or enthusiasm
depending on who you're asking
environmental campaigners say more than
a hundred ancient woodlands will be lost
along with hundreds of wildlife sites
they call it costly and damaging a
mistake but business leaders have
already caught it great news for
investment and growth in many parts of
the country home affairs correspondent
Andy Davis has been hearing more in a
Warwickshire woodland where seeds of the
hs2 project are already taking root the
news from Westminster is met with deep
resentment we're in the climate
emergency we need to be doing sustained
or creation not destroying the country
this project is absolute madness in
Covington wood near Limington spa where
hs2 will run these activists have little
time for pledges of new habitats
replacing old including up to 7 million
new trees and shrubs you know this is
listed as being a woodland in the
Domesday book and it's not just about
what's above it's also about what's
below you're standing on thousands of
years of biodiversity
you cannot dig that up dump it in a pile
over there
you cannot translocate an ancient
woodland that's madness we had 8 miles
north to Burton Green where hs2 will
tunnel its way through amid compulsory
purchase orders and disruption payments
today's news not what Mike Mooney 35
years a resident of the village wanted
the life of a lieutenant is you know
disturbed in the area we're all at once
now I said the village life doesn't
matter anymore to these people
the mourne mourne determined to put this
railroad through
come here rain or sunshine they don't
seem to care
but in Birmingham half an hour away
where many in business and politics have
lobbied so hard for this grand hs2
vision
today's announcement will be hugely
welcome news for some now establishing
new headquarters here two others who've
been based in Birmingham since even
before the age of rail in this case
making cufflinks and other jewelry it's
fantastic to have hs2 coming to
Birmingham Birmingham has always been
the second city and it's now putting us
on a level playing field with London
we've got big companies like KPMG moving
to Birmingham and it makes us much more
accessible going forward so we can offer
a range of product from the fencing of
the track itself right the way through
to the infrastructure so steel frame
buildings across the city with Europe's
biggest infrastructure project on their
doorstep this business is hoping it's
metal manufacturing skills might find in
hs2 a new client
there is a huge divide between the south
and the Midlands and the north and
actually what we can reduce that divide
what we we actually get is more trade
spread and right away across the UK
which is now more important than ever in
Birmingham city centre this afternoon
came other endorsements it's a good job
that I've got ahead of it because I just
be seeing all that I've moved on the
back of it so now suppose creating jobs
and whatnot so yeah positive I think the
opportunities being expanded up here is
a great thing so money well spent and
what creates jobs and opportunities so
yeah
but amidst the vast cost of the scheme
others remain deeply unconvinced
any thoughts money wasted she says
echoing the view of those back in south
Covington would where the campus stood
for over four months now and where
despite today's announcement this
protest goes on are you going to stay
here yeah absolutely we'll be here as
long as it takes you could be arrested
if well they could be enough of us to
stand up against it sometimes you have
to take a stand and this is one of those
times and they are not alone as other
activists along the route dig in another
challenge for a project already so
hampered by spiraling costs and delays
well joining me now are the mayor for
the West Midlands and E Street and Nicky
Williams who's head of campaigns at the
Wildlife Trusts and E Street first when
you look at the money 106 billion pounds
potentially it is a lot and a lot of
people here in Birmingham won't
necessarily benefit is it worth every
penny yes it is worth it so the current
cost is 85 billion pounds that's what
the calculation has been done on some
sales will go up but that's what we're
doing on it's not all being paid
immediately probably paid over about 20
years and paid back over probably 50
years do you think of our predecessors
who built fantastic railways they were
taking big bets like that do you think
of the Channel Tunnel oh it is again
although you accept it's a gamble but
we're taking about it as a private
business that's why I use that word it's
not so if the if the government to pay
the money is slightly different well for
the UK taxpayer though isn't it because
I mean the UK taxpayer as a whole will
get 60p back for every pound spender
what do you say to Brooklyn deputy chair
of the review group that's what he said
but that is not what the majority
reported the review said they said there
was a well over a pound back for every
pound invested a critical critical
difference and the Chancellor has said
that he's poured all over the numbers
and yes there is a payback you asked me
about people in Birmingham what they get
very quickly actually is jobs from this
obviously huge number of construction
jobs that will come and the contracts
are they awarded by the end of March and
what we're also seeing is inward
investment
coming into the city already on the
promise of this being built what about
people in Norfolk who might not get that
much more back you dispute the figures I
put to you I mean maybe he got his sums
wrong but you know people in Norfolk
aren't gonna see any benefit from this
no they're probably not going to see
direct benefit but they do see a benefit
if the whole of the country performs
better and you know there's been a
long-standing imbalance between the
great success of London and perhaps the
underperformance of all of the regional
cities and we're going to see Birmingham
we're going to see Greater Manchester
and Leeds all connected so that's good
for the country as a whole and that
benefits everybody Nicky Williams you've
heard about the benefits is it worth the
environmental sacrifice it isn't worth
the environmental sacrifice as it is
what we want to see is absolutely this
ambition that's been spoken about so
let's make it the best green transport
that's ever been produced
let's not slash and burn our way through
greats ways of irreplaceable habitats
like our beautiful ancient woodlands our
Meadows our hedge ways let's really make
this something different as something
special because as the route goes at the
moment it has to be stopped and
rethought the damage is irreparable and
irreplaceable so that's got to be dealt
with
you're responsible I respond to that one
of the reasons that this is costing a
lot of money is that already in the
design we're trying to think about some
of the very fair environmental concerns
that Nicky puts and the obvious example
is the huge proportion of the line
that's going to be tunneled precisely so
we can protect those environments above
ground and also we you think of another
environmental consideration this is
about removing the need for domestic air
travel completely there's a huge
environmental advantage if we can
achieve that to be honest with you what
we're not seeing is a really good
performance from high speed to limited
and that's where a lot of the distrust
comes from it was highlighted by Boris
Johnson himself today that they're not
performing great and we would echo that
completely we're not being listened to
we've been really productive as the
wildlife trust we've gone out there with
a green vision we've demonstrated it
very early on to try and influence we're
not really getting a very good feedback
we have seen in some of our own woods
contractors coming on site without any
word and ancient trees and seriously
important habitats being taken down
without any conversation or all input so
we've lost our trust is the honest
answer that's why we need this too
one of the things the prime minister
said today he was not sort of defending
or apologizing the performance of HS too
limited he was giving an agreement in
principle to this including all the
tunneling that I mentioned for very
sound environmental reasons he also said
ATS two limits gotta improve its
performance and one of the key
commitments they have given is that for
every tree that is very regrettably
taken down and be replaced by at least
one more and the total commitment is
seven million trees along the distance
analyzed credibly simplistic because an
irreplaceable habitat is really crucial
that word irreplaceable says everything
so the bats and the birds are not going
to sit and wait until all of their
habitats of regrown forty or fifty years
later with their little suitcases they
do need that proper approach and
sometimes we need to tunnel more and we
need to be more thoughtful for example
there are temporary works going into
ancient woodland that shouldn't be
happening and they're the kind of things
that are really making us nervous as
conservationism if it's just just
talking about the second phase which is
getting the go-ahead but there will be
reviews in the course do you think if
costs spiral on that that that should be
curtailed I think it's got to be
delivered for the total cost envelope
but the reason why there is this pause
as it's been described today but the
second phase is actually to make sure we
do get the very best balance of route
and new line against cost and there are
choices that can be made there are
existing lines that could be upgraded
for example so it's very my person is
it's very sensible that we take that
extra six months to get the best thing
and that includes the best route in
terms of minimal impact on the
environment so it's good that we're
doing that did you threaten to quit the
merit conduct this was a this was a
story that was put in the press by the
naysayers at the weekend not true quite
simply I have never discussed that with
anyone in government but never say to
the Prime Minister then to persuade him
to go ahead well I kept saying but this
was really important for the economic
regeneration of this region one of the
other arguments from a business point of
view and my apologies we've had some
great stuff about the environment and I
will come back to a business point here
is that the UK government gave its
commitment four years ago we've seen
hundreds of millions of pounds brought
into the West Midlands economy
on the basis that commitment it is not
right for us then to change our mind
where does that leave in terms the word
of the British government in the
international business market not good
and Andy Street Nicky Williams thank you
both very much for joining us