Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured) has admitted that the HS2 rail project may not go ahead if Labour withdraws its support.
The £42.6 billion high-speed rail line would initially run from London to Birmingham from 2026 and then extend further north in a second phase of construction.
But Labour’s shadow chancellor Ed Balls has suggested the party may stop supporting HS2 if the costs continue to rise and start to outweigh the economic benefits.
Cameron admitted that HS2 may not go ahead without all-party backing, during a press conference after a European Council meeting in Brussels.
“These multi-year, multi-parliament infrastructure projects cannot go ahead without all-party support,” said Cameron. “You will not get the investment, you cannot have the consistency.”
Cameron was speaking just days ahead of a crucial House of Commons vote on a HS2 preparation bill, which is due to be discussed by MPs on Thursday (October 31).
“If Labour continues to support it, which they should and I believe they will, then of course it will have all-party support and it will proceed,” added Cameron.
“If Labour are to run away from this, they will be letting down the Midlands, they will be letting down the north, they will be kicking sand in the face of council leaders across the country who want this to go ahead.”
The comments were made after Balls had again questioned the financial costs and benefits of HS2 during a BBC radio interview.
“I am not going to say we support it when the costs are rising, the benefits are unclear and the government is acting like a cheerleader rather than proper stewards of public money,” added Balls.