Failing to deliver HS2 eastern leg would be like Victorians building a railway to Manchester but leaving canals to serve Sheffield and Leeds, peer claims

A cross-party amendment challenged ministers to start the process of approving the eastern leg, which will run from the West Midlands through Sheffield to Leeds, before Parliament within six months of the western leg, if it goes ahead.

The way in which the Bills for HS2 have been split up have prompted rumours the Government was preparing to scrap the eastern leg.

And although the amendment aimed to stop that being possible, it was defeated by just nine votes, with 265 voting for it, and 274 against.

Labour’s Lord Adonis, one of the amendment’s proposers, warned a failure to complete the railway up to Leeds would be the equivalent of the Victorians building a railway to Manchester but leaving the canals to serve Sheffield and Leeds.

“The great danger at the moment is that the Government is on a track to cancelling or severely delaying the eastern part of the project,” he said.

Lord Adonis said it was “absolutely fundamental” to the project that it should not just serve the West Midlands and the North West, but also the East Midlands and Yorkshire.

“If it’s a project just for one half of the country then it will by definition leave the other half behind,” he told the Lords.

He admitted that the Government “hasn't actually yet said it rejects” the initial plans for HS2, but “that it won't actually take the steps which are required to deliver it”.

While Sheffield Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven said it was “ironic” that on the day Pacer trains were finally removed from the North’s railways that “we're here seeking a commitment from Government, not just one words, to make sure that our railways in the North on the eastern leg are actually equivalent to what is going to happen up to Manchester”.

And he said: “The Minister can stand at that despatch box and give us all the warm words in the world, the fact is, people in Sheffield in Leeds will not believe the promises.

“They will look at this amendment and wonder why a commitment cannot be given to bring forward a plan through law, about why we can't get the equivalent of what's happening up on the western leg.”

Using Boris Johnson’s words he urged the Government to stop the “dither and delay”.

Yorkshire Labour peer Lord Blunkett said the reluctance to confirm commitment to the eastern leg shows that when the Government spoke of “the North”, it meant the Northwest and Greater Manchester.

He said: “Well, it's time for the leaders of councils, the elected mayors, the Members of Parliament of every party from the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Northeast to start collaborating together to have their voice heard, because otherwise, they will literally find themselves conned.

“And once again, they'll be seen as losers, and I'm sick of being losers on the east of the Pennines. I want the North and the Northern Powerhouse to be right across what is the North of England.”

He said: “Unless you get it on paper, unless it’s absolutely unequivocal, it’s not going to happen. And the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East will lose out all over again.”

Baroness Vere of Norbiton, responding for the Government, said the bid was unnecessary as plans for the high-speed line to Sheffield and Leeds would be set out in an integrated rail plan.

But Lord Adonis said: “If there is no high speed line going to Sheffield, Leeds and connecting to the East Coast Mainland then there is nothing to integrate.”

Baroness Vere said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear that the Government’s plans for the HS2 eastern leg will be set out in the integrated rail plan and that this will be laid before Parliament in the same time frame of the amendment.”

She said preparations were already under way for phase 2b of the project to Manchester and Leeds in smaller, multiple Bills, which could run concurrently.

“Plans for legislation covering the eastern leg of HS2 phase 2b will be confirmed following the publication of the integrated rail plan,” she said.

Baroness Vere said that if Lord Adonis were to withdraw his amendment, she would commit to publish the plan for legislation as part of the integrated rail plan.

But Lord Adonis said her assurances did not go far enough and pressed his amendment unsuccessfully to a vote.