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Tory divisions on HS2 were laid bare at prime minister’s questions as opponents of the high-speed rail link shouted down MPs urging Boris Johnson to back it.
Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake faced shouts of “no” from fellow Tories as he led the calls for the PM to give the green light to the £100bn project following a review.
New Tory MPs Paul Howell and Kieran Mullan faced similar treatment as they insisted HS2 was important for their former Labour stronghold seats in Sedgefield and Crewe and Nantwich.
Responding, Johnson promised a decision very shortly.
He is expected to hold a crunch meeting with chancellor Sajid Javid and transport secretary Grant Shapps on Thursday to decide on HS2’s future.
But Downing Street said no decision would be made at the high-level meeting.
The final sign-off is set to be handed to a full meeting of the cabinet within the next two weeks.
The row came after it emerged that Network Rail boss Andrew Haines has warned of delays of up to 30 years on the east coast main line, serving London and Edinburgh via Leeds and York, if HS2 is cancelled or downgraded.
At PMQs, Hollinrake – who has organised a pro-HS2 letter signed by about 35 Tories, including ministers – asked Johnson: “Does the prime minister agree that we need to increase capacity in our railways in and between the north, the Midlands, the south and Scotland, and unless we want decades of disruption, the only way to do this is through the Midlands engine rail, northern powerhouse rail and HS2?”
The Tory benches erupted into shouts of “no” as Johnson stood up to reply.
The PM said: “I can tell my honourable friend that we are not only building the northern powerhouse rail and investing in a Midlands rail hub but, as he knows, we are looking into whether and how to proceed with HS2.
“And the House can expect an announcement very shortly.”
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The review led by former HS2 Ltd chair Doug Oakervee, leaked to the Financial Times, found there is “considerable risk” that the high-speed rail project’s cost will rise by up to 20% from between £81bn and £88bn.
It was initially allocated far less – £56bn – in 2015.
The review also recommended that the second stage of the project, to take the line beyond the initial London-Birmingham link onwards to Manchester and Leeds, should be paused to probe whether it would be better to downgrade it to a mix of high-speed and conventional lines.
But MPs like Hollinrake insist that the second stage must go ahead or the project would be pointless.
He told HuffPost UK last week: “If we have a change of heart now, you are still going to deliver HS2 to Birmingham.
“What’s the rest of the country going to think of that?
“The north is left out again – it would look very bad.”