U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a raft of new policies aimed at shoring up waning support for his Conservative Party ahead of next year's General Election.
Included in the measures was the anticipated but controversial decision to scrap the northern leg of a planned HS2 high-speed rail network.
Included in the measures was the anticipated but controversial decision to scrap the northern leg of a planned HS2 high-speed rail network intended to connect industry across the country. "The facts have changed. The right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction," he said.Sunak confirmed speculation that the government would ax the HS2 high-speed train route between Birmingham and Manchester amid mounting costs, saying that money from the project — around £36 billion — would be reinvested in other regional transport links.in 2015 but costs have since ballooned, hitting an estimated £98 billion in 2020.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who has played a pivotal role in boosting the Conservatives' position in the region, said Sunak wasAndy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, told the BBC Sunak was treating the north like "second-class citizens." Building of the London to Birmingham leg of the route is already underway.
Sunak also unveiled an overhaul of A-levels and T-levels, studied by 16-to 19-year-olds, under a new so-called Advanced British Standard. The moves will expand the number of hours students spend in classrooms and increase the number of subjects they study to include compulsory English and math.
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