GB News presenter Pip Tomson has ripped into Conservative Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Rachel Maclean, amid reports that the northern leg of HS2 to Manchester has been scrapped.
Rishi Sunak has come under repeated pressure to commit to the project from all sides of the political sphere including Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who suggested that he will take 'legal action' against the Government if the project was scrapped.
Speaking to GB News live from the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, where the leg of HS2 could be scrapped, Maclean was questioned by presenter Mark Longhurst on the issue.
Mark said: "Part of the whole picture on infrastructure is transport, as you'll know there has been huge conjecture about the future of HS2 to get to Manchester. ITV News reporting a decision has been taken, that it will be shelved, and that Rishi Sunak basically says that the billions will go to other transport sections there in the north. What would that do for levelling up?"
Pip Tomson clashed with Housing Minister Rachel Maclean on HS2
GB News
Maclean replied: "Well clearly ITV News knows more than I do. As far as I'm aware, no decision has been made, but I think the point is the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are right to look at these long term decisions.
"We have spent billions of pounds on HS2. Yes there are very strong arguments for doing it, and as a west midlands MP I know the importance of it to the local economy, but at the same time, there are huge demands on the public finances and taxpayer's money, and infrastructure and transport infrastructure is needed all across the country.
"Look I'm not really close enough to it to give a definitive answer, especially not in a very short statement, but I do think it's important to look at all of this and see what the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are coming forward with."
Pip Tomson then hit back at Maclean's answer, stating: "Rachel you say you're not close enough to it, but do you not think it was a little bit fishy that the Transport Secretary Mark Harper did not mention HS2 once in his speech?"
Maclean responded: "Well as I say I haven't been able to attend any of the speeches because I've literally been in about 10 housing fringe events."
Pip was quick to respond to Maclean, stating: "Okay, he didn't mention it, I'm telling you Rachel he did not mention it once, so is that not a little bit of a clue what's going on here?"
Maclean then said: "Well you might be speculating about that, but as I've said, look I'd be very interested to see what the decision is, it's not a decision for me, but ultimately I agree with the principle that if we're spending billions of pounds of public money, of taxpayer's money, we do need to look carefully at where it's being spent.
"But what I don't agree with actually is the sort of criticism that this is a sort of attack on levelling up, because at the same time just this week you've seen a billion pounds worth of investment going into towns all across the country, you've seen devolution, free ports, investment zones.
"We have a very ambitious program of levelling up and we need to obviously deliver that so people can feel the difference. It's not just all about HS2, even though that is important."
Rachel Maclean said Government needs to 'look carefully' at where money is being spent
GB News
Rishi Sunak is yet to make an official statement at the Conservative Party Conference about the future of HS2 and the northern leg of the project.
A Government source has told GB News that "no decisions have been made" yet.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, told GB News in an exclusive interview that "all options were on the table" to fight for HS2.
Burnham said: "If HS2 had been built first in Manchester and was going down the country, do we think the London leg would be scrapped? Of course it wouldn't.
"We don't seek fights with Whitehall, but we know how to answer them back now and we're not just gonna just gonna lie down and accept the way Whitehall has always treated the north of England."