UKIP Manifesto: Costs of HS2

“Spending £75 billion just to save a few minutes between London and Leeds is ludicrous and, we think, unethical.”

• We’ve asked UKIP for a source on this.
• The official estimate of the cost of HS2 is between £41 billion and £56 billion (in 2015 prices).
• However, the National Audit Office has said that “the £55.7 billion funding package does not cover funding for all the activity needed to deliver the promised growth and regeneration benefits”. The Public Accounts committee of MPs has also expressed concerns about how realistic these cost estimates are.
• In 2013, Bill Cash MP said in the House of Commons that “the amount has already gone up to £50 billion-plus, and I will not be surprised if it is £75 billion by the time this is finished”. In 2016 High Speed UK—a campaign group seeking an alternative to HS2—said in a press release that HS2 “could end up costing over £75 billion.” Neither referenced any specific source for the £75 billion figure.