Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
24 September 2013

Exclusive: Adonis warns that “incompetent“ coalition must control costs if HS2 is to survive

The architect of High Speed 2 and the head of Labour's growth review says that Ed Balls's threat to withdraw support for the project has "raised the bar".

By George Eaton

After Ed Balls threatened to withdraw Labour’s support for High Speed 2 and suggested that the £42.6bn allocated to the project could potentially be better spent elsewhere, I spoke to Andrew Adonis, the former transport secretary and the architect of HS2, at a New Statesman fringe event last night to get his response.

In his first reported comments since Balls’s speech, Adonis, who is the head of Labour’s growth review and shadow infrastructure minister, told me that the shadow chancellor had “raised the bar” for the project and that the “incompetent” coalition needed to demonstrate that it could “keep costs under control” if HS2 was to survive. He criticised the government’s failure to pass legislation more quickly and to manage the programme effectively: “all they’ve done since coming to office is add £10bn to it”.

Adonis, who warned in a recent New Statesman piece that it would be an “act of national self-mutilation” to cancel HS2, told me: “the current contingency fund of £14bn is too large and the cost needs to come down when the bill has its second reading in February/March.” He added: “it’s no surprise opinion is turning against it if people fear it will end up costing £100bn.”

In his speech, Balls said: “the question is – not just whether a new high-speed line is a good idea or a bad idea, but whether it is the best way to spend £50bn for the future of our country. In tough times it’s even more important that all our policies and commitments are properly costed and funded.”

Adonis warned in his piece that the urgent need to increase rail capacity (the West Coast Main Line will be full by 2024) meant there was “no free lunch – or pot of gold which can be diverted to other projects in anything but the very short-term, with more costly consequences thereafter”. But at a fringe meeting last night, Balls openly speculated on whether the HS2 money would be better spent on “building new homes or new schools or new hospitals”.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

With Miliband due to pledge in his speech today to build a million new homes over the course of the next parliament, it’s unsurprising that Ballls is attracted by the option of scrapping HS2. It would allow Labour to raise billions for other projects while remaining within George Osborne’s fiscal envelope. For Balls, understandably wary of making the case for borrowing to invest, that is political gold.