High Speed 2 is an increasingly rare example of an issue on which there is a consensus among the three main parties. But Peter Mandelson’s recent rejection of the project as an “expensive mistake” and the 25% rise in its estimated cost to £42.6bn (even before a shovel has touched the ground) has created the space for a more nuanced debate about its costs and benefits.
So it is striking that both Vince Cable and Ed Balls are now making sceptical noises. Cable told Today this morning:
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