Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said HS2 is not one his 'red lines' in any future coalition deal after the election on 7 May.
Speaking to ITV news, Mr Clegg said the £50bn plan to build a high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham then on to Manchester and Leeds, would not be ‘lightly discarded’ but did not constitute a deal breaker.
He has openly stated that he does not expect to win the election but hopes to play a role in a coalition government, where he would rein in either of his two main rivals - Labour’s Ed Miliband or the Conservatives’ David Cameron.
The issue may be moot as both parties back HS2 however Labour’s Ed Balls has questioned whether the second stage of the project from the Midlands to the North should go ahead. Mr Balls said a new east to west link across the North was more of a priority.
Mr Clegg attacked this ‘ambivalence’ on HS2, which he said was ‘very damaging’ to a project that is ‘essential to the long-term prospects for the North’.
In an extremely rare point of agreement, UKIP and the Greens have both pledged to scrap HS2 stating the money would be better spent elsewhere.
