Mayor Andy Street rules out resigning after HS2 leg scrapped

West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street has said he will not quit the party despite being "very disappointed" by the prime minister's decision on HS2.

Rishi Sunak confirmed on Wednesday he was scrapping the northern leg of the rail scheme.

There was speculation the decision might lead to Mr Street's resignation, but he said would stay in the party.

"By walking away you don't actually achieve anything for the people who elected me to do a job," he said.

In an interview with BBC News, he admitted he had considered quitting the party on this issue, but wanted to be their candidate in the West Midlands mayoral election in 2024.

"[Mr Sunak] reached out today to say 'you didn't get what you wanted Andy', I acknowledge that but we will work together," Mr Street said.

In his speech, the prime minister said of the mayor, while they had different views on HS2, they "can work together" to ensure quicker trains and more capacity between Birmingham and Manchester.

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On Monday, Mr Street had said axing the Manchester leg would amount to "cancelling the future".

In a statement on Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said he still hoped a way could be found to fund a high-speed link to Manchester.

Mr Street said he would continue to work with private sector involvement to see if the route could be revived in the future.

As well as his announcement on HS2 on Wednesday, the prime minister also announced projects in the West Midlands which would benefit from funding after the high-speed link was scrapped.

They included:

• Reopening rail lines from Stoke-on-Trent to Leek and Oswestry to Gobowen in Shropshire

• A new station at Meir in Stoke-on-Trent, on the Crewe to Derby line

• The refurbishment of Kidsgrove and Longport stations near Stoke-on-Trent

• Contactless and smart ticketing

• Funding for rural counties like Shropshire or smaller cities and towns, like Evesham, for smaller bus services driven by demand

• £250m for road schemes like Shrewsbury's North West Relief Road

• A £650m Midlands Road Fund for new roads

• £230m to increase bus services, to cover new bus stops in Telford, park and ride upgrades elsewhere in Shropshire and new bus lanes in Herefordshire

• £2.2bn for tackling pot holes

• An extension of the £2 bus fare cap

• A further £1bn of transport funding, including £100m for the Metro

It is not yet clear which of these projects represent new funding and which had previously been committed to by the government.

Sir John Peace said the cancellation of HS2 was "disheartening"

Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Connect, which develops and champions long-term transport projects, said he was "disappointed and disheartened" by the HS2 announcement and wanted to know more about the other funded schemes.

"We are now calling for more detail on timescales and plan of action, and asking for a high-level urgent meeting with ministers, to ensure these plans and the benefits for the Midlands are delivered as quickly as possible," he added.

Birmingham Airport reaffirmed its position that a "shorter HS2" would be a "mistake" and "would short-change every generation to follow".

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