Rachel Reeves's announcement of a £22.6 billion cash injection for the NHS and an additional £2.3 billion for schools was overshadowed by the grim reality of the HS2 project, which saw costs soaring unabated. Meanwhile, transport secretary Louise Haigh's reaction to the mention of the railway tunnel—from tense silence to visible distress—reflected the pervasive anxiety surrounding what has become known as the greatest white elephant in British history, the HS2 project.
The financial burden of HS2 is staggering. Initially estimated at £30 billion, costs have spiraled to £67 billion, with the Euston terminus's budget jumping from £2.6 billion to £4.8 billion. The project has created a landscape of desolation, with communities displaced and businesses flattened, leaving behind a spectacle of waste in its wake. Rishi Sunak's hesitant leadership led to the expensive decision to halt the link, reallocating the funds to northern rail projects, presenting a dismal economic reality.
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