From the project. Here he is speaking on bbc radio manchesters anna jameson. Asi as i said, i would be catching the train on saturday if they were not strikes, unfortunately, there are. You quote a check when you are right in the north west injanuary this year. In the north west in january this ear. ,. , in the north west in january this ear,. ,. ,. , in the north west in january this ear. ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. , ~ year. You got on a et plane. I take lots of different year. You got on a jet plane. I take lots of different forms year. You got on a jet plane. I take lots of different forms of year. You got on a jet plane. I take lots of different forms of travel year. You got on a jet plane. I take lots of different forms of travel to l lots of different forms of travel to get around so i can squeeze more into my day, im working hard to deliverfor into my day, im working hard to deliver for the country, there into my day, im working hard to deliverfor the country, there is into my day, im working hard to deliver for the country, there is a lot going on. I spend every minute of my day working to deliver four people. I said five priorities, to halve inflation. We people. I said five priorities, to halve inflation. People. I said five priorities, to halve inflation. We know about those. Halve inflation. We know about those can halve inflation. We know about those can we halve inflation. We know about those. Can wejust. Halve inflation. We know about those. Can wejust. Can halve inflation. We know about those. Can we just. Can we halve inflation. We know about i those. Can we just. Can we cross those. Can we just. Can we cross to the those. Can we just. Can we cross to the h52 those. Can we just. Can we cross to the h52 line which i feel like you are to the h52 line which i feel like you are trying to get off this . A lot of you are trying to get off this . A lot of rumour and speculation, lets end this lot of rumour and speculation, lets end this right here, right now. Tell the people end this right here, right now. Tell the people of Greater Manchester, are you the people of Greater Manchester, are you scrapping the h52 line between are you scrapping the h52 line between birmingham and manchester . | between birmingham and manchester . I know between birmingham and manchester . Know there between birmingham and manchester . I know there is a lot of speculation on this, we already have spades on the ground on the first bit of hs2 and we are getting on with delivering it. That is the commitment. We have got spates in the ground on phase one and we are getting on with delivering it. What getting on with delivering it. What about phase getting on with delivering it. What about phase two . Getting on with delivering it. What about phase two . If getting on with delivering it. What about phase two . If i getting on with delivering it. What about phase two . If i can getting on with delivering it. What about phase two . If i can just about phase two . If i can ust finish, it hi about phase two . If i can ust finish, it is always about phase two . If i can ust finish, it is always right h about phase two . If i can just finish, it is always right the i finish, it is always right the government looks at things to make sure we are doing things in a way that creates value for money. What i would say is hs2 is one of the many things we are doing to level up across our country and it is one of the many things we are going to invest in the north and transport infrastructure in the north. If you look right now, we are providing record sums to Greater Manchester in particular so that they can improve the transport in and around the city, suburbs, towns nearby, treating it in exactly the same way london gets treated. That treating it in exactly the same way london gets treated. London gets treated. That is. I feel like we london gets treated. That is. I feel like we are london gets treated. That is. I feel like we are going london gets treated. That is. I feel like we are going off london gets treated. That is. I feel like we are going off topic, | london gets treated. That is. I | feel like we are going off topic, i want feel like we are going off topic, i want to feel like we are going off topic, i want to keep it focused on hsz. Straight want to keep it focused on hsz. Straight talking people in the north, straight talking people in the north, it straight talking people in the north, it is yes or no, are you scrapping north, it is yes or no, are you scrapping the h52 line between birmingham and manchester . Like i said, i am birmingham and manchester . Like i said. I am not birmingham and manchester . Like i said, i am not speculating birmingham and manchester . L i said, i am not speculating on future things, we have spades in the ground right now. Is it things, we have spades in the ground riaht now. , right now. Is it under review . Government right now. Is it under review . Government is right now. Is it under review . Government is always right now. Is it under review . Government is always making right now. Is it under review . Government is always making sure we get value for money out of everything but that is just a statement of the obvious. What also people she should know, a lot of folks on this one thing, what are the journeys people use most in manchester and the north . In their cars right now getting to work, taking their kids to school, making the roads free of potholes, priority number one. We the roads free of potholes, priority number one. The roads free of potholes, priority number one. Number one. We are not talking about potholes, number one. We are not talking about potholes, the number one. We are not talking about potholes, the main number one. We are not talking about potholes, the main story i number one. We are not talking i about potholes, the main story right now across about potholes, the main story right now across the country, people want to know now across the country, people want to know about the future of h52, still no to know about the future of h52, still no you to know about the future of h52, still no you cannot give me a yes or no, you still no you cannot give me a yes or no, you are still no you cannot give me a yes or no, you are the man in control, you can tell no, you are the man in control, you can tell us no, you are the man in control, you can tell us know if it is happening. My point can tell us know if it is happening. My point to can tell us know if it is happening. My point to you is, the vast majority of the journeys people make our own their cars making sure we make sure the roads are well maintained. Irate make sure the roads are well maintained. Make sure the roads are well maintained. ~. ,. , maintained. We are talking about trains, we maintained. We are talking about trains. We are maintained. We are talking about trains, we are not maintained. We are talking about trains, we are not talking maintained. We are talking about trains, we are not talking about. Trains, we are not talking about cars trains, we are not talking about cars. ,. ,. , cars. Even when it comes to trains, the thing peeple cars. Even when it comes to trains, the thing people raise cars. Even when it comes to trains, the thing people raise with cars. Even when it comes to trains, the thing people raise with me cars. Even when it comes to trains, | the thing people raise with me also, what are you doing to connect up quite towns and cities in the north west to east . We are improving frequency of journeys from liverpool, manchester, leeds, sheffield, all of the towns and cities need connecting up, faster, more frequent connections, more capacity, we need to invest in local bus services. I capacity, we need to invest in local bus services capacity, we need to invest in local bus services bus services. I ust want. We havent bus services. I ust want. We havent got bus services. I just want. We havent got much bus services. I just want. We havent got much time bus services. I just want. We havent got much time with. Bus services. I just want. We i havent got much time with you, i want havent got much time with you, i want to havent got much time with you, i want to make sure we are getting our points want to make sure we are getting our points addressed, you mentioned the east to points addressed, you mentioned the east to west line, that cannot happen east to west line, that cannot happen across the north without north happen across the north without north to happen across the north without north to south because we have the line between piccadilly and Manchester Airport which is key and vital in Manchester Airport which is key and vital in delivering both. Are you saying vital in delivering both. Are you saying now, if you are looking to commit saying now, if you are looking to commit to saying now, if you are looking to commit to east to west better links, you are commit to east to west better links, you are committing to a north to south, you are committing to a north to south, you you are committing to a north to south, you cannot have one without the other south, you cannot have one without the other as south, you cannot have one without the other as it stands . | south, you cannot have one without the other as it stands . I do south, you cannot have one without the other as it stands . The other as it stands . I do think the other as it stands . I do think the are the other as it stands . I do think they are two the other as it stands . I do think they are two quite the other as it stands . I do think they are two quite different the other as it stands . I do think i they are two quite different things. They are not. They are connected. You need they are not. They are connected. You need to they are not. They are connected. You need to link. That is in the plans you need to link. That is in the lans. ,. , you need to link. That is in the lans. ,. , plans. Yes, but it does something different, that plans. Yes, but it does something different, that connects plans. Yes, but it does something different, that connects liverpool| different, that connects liverpool to manchester and beyond, notjust between liverpool and manchester, we need to think about bradford, leeds, how we are going. It need to think about bradford, leeds, how we are going. How we are going. It does not matter from how we are going. It does not matter from east how we are going. It does not matter from east to how we are going. It does not matter from east to west, how we are going. It does not matter from east to west, you | how we are going. It does not i matter from east to west, you the connecting matter from east to west, you the connecting line, you cannot have one without connecting line, you cannot have one without the connecting line, you cannot have one without the other. Are you saying this morning to me. | without the other. Are you saying this morning to me. Without the other. Are you saying this morning to me. I think we are talkin at this morning to me. I think we are talking at cross this morning to me. I think we are talking at cross purposes. This morning to me. I think we are talking at cross purposes. I this morning to me. I think we are talking at cross purposes. I agree i talking at cross purposes. I agree entirely connectivity across northern towns and cities is important. I have studied for years. I am on the east side of the north, i am on the east side of the north, i know the connectivity across the pennines is not good enough. It is notjust liverpool to manchester, it is all the way across the north. That is probably the thing that will drive the most growth, create the most jobs, drive the most growth, create the mostjobs, if we can get that right. We are investing in doing that but we need to do more, go further. Having greater frequency, we need to do more, go further. Having greaterfrequency, greater capacity and shorter journey times from liverpool all the way to the east coast is actually i think the thing that will make the biggest difference to unlocking the massive potential across the north that we know is there. Know is there. That is great, you are committed know is there. That is great, you are committed to know is there. That is great, you are committed to Levelling Know is there. That is great, you are committed to levelling up, l know is there. That is great, you i are committed to levelling up, you are committed to levelling up, you are sayingm are committed to levelling up, you are saying. I are committed to levelling up, you are saying are saying. I am absolutely committed are saying. I am absolutely committed to are saying. I am absolutely committed to levelling are saying. I am absolutely committed to levelling up. I are saying. I am absolutely i committed to levelling up. The are saying. I am absolutely committed to levelling up. The thing is, eole committed to levelling up. The thing is. People here committed to levelling up. The thing is. People here in committed to levelling up. The thing is, people here in greater is, people here in Greater Manchester cannot forget this, another Manchester Cannot forget this, another leaked a bit of information from a another leaked a bit of information from a video in Tunbridge Wells last year from a video in Tunbridge Wells last year | from a video in Tunbridge Wells last ear. ,. , from a video in Tunbridge Wells last ear,. ,. , year. I will start changing the fundin year. I will start changing the funding for year. I will start changing the funding for their year. I will start changing the funding for their areas year. I will start changing the funding for their areas to year. I will start changing the i funding for their areas to make year. I will start changing the funding for their areas to make sure errors like this get the funding they deserve. The funding was shoved into deprived areas, can you do not care about deprived urban areas, do you . I absolutely do. It is completely wrong to say those are the only places that are deprived in our country. The point i was making when i was speaking to people across the south coast and there are coastal communities particularly in the south that are deprived and that is the case across our country. When i say i want to deliver levelling up, i dont want to pick one region against another, we need to level up everywhere, equally in an urban area in the north, as in a coastal area in the north, as in a coastal area in the north, as in a coastal area in the southeast, southwest. If someone disagrees, that is fine, but i think they are wrong. I want to spread opportunity everywhere. The point i was making is that it applies to someone living in a difficult situation in a Coastal Community in the south east as it does to an urban area in the north. Sticking with the story. Live now to our chief political correspondent, henry zeffman. This was a round of interviews with Bbc Local Radio stations, that was just one of them, what do we make of this . Why wouldnt the Prime Minister answered a question . That was ust minister answered a question . That was just one minister answered a question . That wasjust one of minister answered a question . That wasjust one of the minister answered a question . Tisgt wasjust one of the interviews but was just one of the interviews but in a lot of the interviews rishi sunak was asked similar questions about hs2, specifically the leg from birmingham to manchester, and he gave similar answers. He didnt answer. He talked about prioritising road travel, transport links, within the north, rather than to the north. He talked about Fixing Potholes being very important to do with how people go about travelling on a day to day basis. What do i take from that . What has been clear for a few days if not a few weeks, there is serious consideration being given in government to potentially scrapping that leg. If not scrapping it, perhaps delaying it, perhaps doing northern thou hast rail, connecting the cities of the north to each other, before connecting those cities to London Northern powerhouse rail. Clearly there is an intense conversation going on in Downing Street and rishi sunak is not comfortable providing the answer to the publicjust yet. We not comfortable providing the answer to the publicjust yet. To the public ust yet. We know this roect is to the publicjust yet. We know this project is already to the publicjust yet. We know this project is already way to the publicjust yet. We know this project is already way over to the publicjust yet. We know this project is already way over budget, | project is already way over budget, do we know when we will get any clarity from the Prime Minister or from any of his departments . Ida. Clarity from the Prime Minister or from any of his departments . No, we dont. From any of his departments . No, we dont there from any of his departments . No, we dont. There was from any of his departments . No, we dont. There was some from any of his departments . No, we dont. There was some suggestion. Dont. There was some suggestion over recent days that we might get clarity this week and there is a particular coincidence, coincidental reason, why we thought that might happen. That is this sunday the Conservative Partys conference begins, an annual kind of gathering of party activists, Cabinet Ministers will make a speech, rishi sunak, his first one since he became Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister. Believe it or not, liz truss was Prime Minister, feels like a lot longer. In a quirk of circumstance, that conference beginning this sunday is in manchester. As some people have been noting, the Conference Venue is a former railway station, disused railway station. We were thinking, hang on, surely rishi sunak is going to want to avoid the jokes, resonance from having this issue hanging over him and manchester. Quite close to that weekend now and it seems he does not want to give that answer yet. Perhaps we might not get clarity until much deeper in the year, one date suggested as mid november because that is whenjeremy hunt, the chancellor, will deliver the autumn statement, the kind of mini budget you get in the autumn. It is a bit unclear, is the truth. Rishi sunak was pressed a lot on trying to clear up some of the issues by lots of different local Radio Stations this