The SNP has described Boris Johnson’s decision to scrap a £3 billion HS2 rail link to Scotland as “sleekit” and “cowardly”.
The announcement, made by Tory ministers yesterday, confirmed they were removing the Golborne Link from HS2 which would have connected high speed trains from the north west of England to Glasgow.
It’s the latest pledge to be scrapped by the UK government following the £1 billion CCUS project in the north east of Scotland, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which aimed to mitigate the cost of Scotland being forced out of the EU.
Commenting, the SNP’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Gavin Newlands MP, said:
“This sleekit move sums up Boris Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister – cowardly and shameful.
“His decision to announce this crucial cut on the same day as his Vote of No Confidence – knowing full well it would fall off the radar – is despicable.
“The original investment would have drastically improved Scotland’s rail links with the north west of England, but yet again this Westminster government is tearing it apart.
“Whether it’s promising to improve rail links in Scotland, building a multi-billion-pound bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, or investing £1 billion in carbon capture in the north east – nothing that comes out of Boris Johnson’s mouth can be trusted.
“Time and time again, the SNP Scottish Government has been forced to work with one hand tied behinds its back, while the UK Tory government impose cuts and scrap pledges. This has to end.
“That is why the only way to achieve a fairer and more equal country is for Scotland to become an independent country.”
