UK politics live: Labour attacks Tories over ‘appalling mess' of HS2 with billions wasted and delays past 2033
The Conservatives wasted billions of pounds on the severely delayed HS2 line which will not open until beyond the deadline of 2033, the Labour government will say.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to to say she is drawing a 'line in the sand' over the beleaguered rail project after years of badly negotiated contracts and multiple design changes.
'Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management,' Ms Alexander will tell the House of Commons. 'It's an appalling mess. But it's one we will sort out.'
She is due to announce the findings of two reviews into what has gone wrong with the project, as well as address allegations of fraud by contractors to HS2.
The high-speed railway was initially estimated to cost £37.5bn in 2013, but in June last year, it was revealed that the line between London and Birmingham alone would hit £66bn.
Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said: 'Frankly, when it comes to HS2, in some ways we're a bit of a laughing stock around the world in terms of how we handle infrastructure.'
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