Reform say they will axe Northern Powerhouse Rail if they get into power
Reform UK reveal the big government project they want to scrap
- Reform Party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, stated that a Reform government would scrap new high-speed rail schemes for Northern England, including Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).
- Tice advised companies against bidding for NPR contracts, asserting that the money would instead be spent on other national priorities.
- A report from the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, referenced by Tice, predicted NPR would be an "even greater train crash" than HS2, with a new Liverpool-Manchester line potentially costing £30 billion.
- The Policy Exchange report proposed an alternative "Elizabeth line for the North," involving a tunnel under Manchester city centre to link conventional rail lines.
- The Department for Transport affirmed its commitment to improving Northern transport infrastructure, while Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham criticised Reform's stance as advocating a "second-class railway" for the region.