Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive includes an update from Rishi Sunak after Tom Wagner wrote to the Prime Minister.
A blow to the new owners of Birmingham City, Knighthead, has been dealt by Rishi Sunak’s confirmation that he is canceling the second phase of HS2.
After hearing rumors that he was considering dropping the Birmingham to Manchester portion of HS2, Blues CEO Tom Wagner wrote to the Prime Minister last week pleading with him to keep the Government’s promise to deliver HS2.
“HS2 has the potential to transform the West Midlands and other cities and regions connected by the ‘Y’ network,” Wagner said in part of his open letter. The entire nation will benefit from its completion. The UK government will make a strong statement to the investing community by sticking with this project and displaying its commitment to it, which will eventually improve the long-term prospects of the UK.
Sunak has, however, ignored Wagner’s words and confirmed that HS2 will now only connect London to Birmingham. Confirming media reports, Sunak said: “I’m cancelling the rest of HS2.
“In its place we’ll reinvest every penny in hundreds of new transport projects in the North, Midlands, and across the country. That’s a £36 billion investment. Every region bar London gets the same or more than under HS2, with quicker results.”
Wagner admits HS2 was a key factor in Knighthead’s decision to invest in Blues. The American investment firm want to make Birmingham a hub for events that attract large-scale audiences and HS2 is something they banked on.
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