HS4 Location Motion

This House recognises:

(1) That cooperation and input with the Scottish Government is essential to the coordination and development of a national High-Speed Rail network.

(2) Much of economic activity and opportunities are disproportionately concentrated in the South of England, with the rest of the United Kingdom facing regional underdevelopment.

This House therefore notes:

(1) The benefits of High Speed Rail to Scotland, in which —

(a) the construction and operation of high-speed rail infrastructure would stimulate much needed economic growth by creating jobs, fostering investment, and supporting local businesses along the rail corridors helping Scotland and Northern England to remain competitive in a globalised economy, diversifying economic productivity and opportunities;

(b) depending on the extent of the route, the existence of a High-speed rail network would enhance connectivity between major cities in Scotland as well as with other parts of the UK crucially;

(c) it provides a fast and efficient alternative to driving or flying, high-speed rail which can help alleviate road congestion and reduce the strain on airports, allowing for smoother traffic flow, less pollution, and improved quality of life for residents; and

(d) it improves national productivity, bringing faster and more reliable transportation options saving commuters between England and Scotland time and allowing them to have more ease of travel for work reasons, leading to greater efficiency in business operations and labour mobility contributing to overall economic productivity.

This House therefore resolves:

(1) That the Government should reconsider the funds previously provided to alternate destinations for HS4 to be redistributed to the North and Scotland line;

(2) That the HS4 project should formally be located within the North of England and Scotland, and rejects the location or relocation of this project anywhere other than the aforementioned location;

(3) That the Government should enter into negotiations and discussions with the Scottish Government per the Scotland Act 1998 to enable this project to proceed without unreasonable delay

This Motion was submitted by the Right Honourable u/Youmaton Shadow Secretary of State for Home Affairs on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, the Official Opposition, with contributions from the Right Honourable u/Waffel-lol Leader of His Majesty’s Official Opposition

Speaker,

As the Parliament returns after one of most unusual elections in recent memory, many of us stand in return with individual mandates handed from our constituencies, the voices who want to see a change or lack of change forwarded. As I stand here in this house, I recognise that outside of the broader national trends, the people of North and East Yorkshire made their message clear during the campaign, and have asked me to bring forward this for the Parliament and Government’s consideration.

The North and Scotland have historically been ignored by Westminster, as much of the funding throughout the decades has gone towards traditionally wealthy areas in London and the South of England. The people of the North and Scotland were shocked when they learned that the project that they had hoped would properly connect them to the rest of the country would be taken from them, reallocated to serve as a vanity project to hold up a government coalition. While political leaders have changed since this time, as have opinions on this action, funding is still not certain. We still do not know if this project will be returned to the North and Scotland where it is needed, or if we are locked into the Cornwall line. This is our chance as a Parliament to make it clear of our intention, and to right this wrong that stripped the North and Scotland of the transportation connection that it dearly needs.

Despite my grievances towards past actions, let this be an opportunity for a new page. In the motion there is no blaming, no attacking, and no finger pointing. This motion is a clear instruction from Parliament to the Government to ensure that HS4 is built in the North and Scotland, and that these negotiations occur in line with the Scotland Act 1998. In the spirit of good will that was shown at the beginning of the most recent Prime Minister’s Questions session, let us use these early opportunities to work together, to recognise where past decisions were incorrect, and put in the action needed to fix them.

I urge all colleagues to support this motion.

Debate under this motion shall end on 27th March at 10pm GMT