Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the implications for his policies of the letter from rail industry leaders to the Prime Minister of 13 September 2021 on the HS2 eastern leg.

Levelling up all areas of the country, including the North, remains at the centre of this government’s agenda. The rail schemes that will be set out in the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands will transform rail connectivity across the North and Midlands, playing a crucial role in driving economic growth and productivity, bringing people closer to opportunity, and spreading greater prosperity right across the country. Government will publish this plan soon, and it will confirm how we intend to take forward the HS2 Eastern Leg.