Pendle MP will oversee HS2 rail project

Pendle MP, Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson, will be given full-time responsibility for overseeing the controversial HS2 high speed rail project, the Government confirmed today.
Pendle MP Andrew StephensonPendle MP Andrew Stephenson
Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson

The Tory MP was handed the role after Boris Johnson confirmed last week that the project linking London with Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester would go ahead.

The Prime Minister told the Commons that his cabinet had given the project the “green light” despite fears over its cost and impact on the environment.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Stephenson, who was named as Transport Minister in the recent reshuffle, will oversee the project and changes to the way HS2 is managed.

He will also oversee the £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail high speed rail project linking the major cities of the North and the £29bn Trans-pennine Route upgrade between Leeds, Manchester and York.

A former Parliamentary Private Secretary to Mr Johnson as Foreign Secretary, Mr Stephenson was first elected as an MP for Pendle in 2010.

He has served as a Foreign Minister as well as working in the whips' office. He has previously joined lobbying efforts to get the railway line between Skipton and Colne re-opened.

His new role was confirmed the Department for Transport, who have updated his ministerial page on their website.