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Leeds HS2 leg ‘set to be scrapped’, Whitehall leak suggests
A government source has reportedly claimed it will "never be built in our lifetime" - but the Department for Transport denies any final decisions have yet been made
Leeds' HS2 extension looks 'set to be scrapped' according to leaks coming out of Whitehall, reports suggest this morning.
A government source has reportedly claimed the Eastern leg will "never be built in our lifetime" in a move that is intended to shave £40billion off the costs of what one Tory MP has dubbed the "hugely expensive white elephant" railway project.
Whilst the Department of Transport insists that the decision to axe the Eastern leg has not yet been made, a source told the Sunday Mirror yesterday:
'They might make some announcement about doing the work in the future but everyone involved knows the truth.
'They have run out of cash and there's no way we're going to see this built in our lifetimes.'
The leaks come in spite of the fact that the city has already started work on a new £500million station in preparation for the new line.
Officially, the Department for Transport is maintaining that a much-delayed integrated rail plan is due imminently and will 'soon' outline plans to move forward with all major railway infrastructure plans.
Northern leaders have hit back at the comments today, warning that plans to 'level up' the north will be much harder to achieve without the long-promised new rail links.
Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, said: 'The government cannot talk about levelling up and a commitment to the north without addressing the decades of underinvestment across our transport networks.
'The eastern leg of HS2 is essential to providing the rail services that work for our communities, as part of a joined-up transport system that connects people to better jobs, better education, and more opportunities.'
Currently, so far the only part of the project that has been built only serves to connect London with Birmingham - cutting journey times from one hour 21 minutes to 52 minutes, according to a statement given by The Department for Transport last year.
For the second leg, it was estimated that journeys from Birmingham to Leeds would be down to 49 minutes from two hours and Manchester to London journeys would take one hour and seven minutes, cutting down travel time by an hour.
Leader of Leeds city council James Lewis said: 'I will be hugely disappointed if we are back to the drawing board.
'The constant pipeline of projects in London moving forward suggests that levelling up isn't in operation.'
However, Conservative MP for Rother Valley Alexander Stafford took a different view:
"What we need is the money invested in transport infrastructure that might actually bring a tangible benefit to seats like mine.
'We need a better bus service and better links to Manchester across the Pennines rather than a hugely expensive white elephant that is sucking resources out of areas like mine and will only benefit a tiny number of people living in central Leeds"
Elsewhere Henri Murison, the director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said failing to bring HS2’s western and eastern legs would see the project “undermined in achieving its full economic benefits”.
Since its initial approval in 2012, the project's total cost has reportedly risen from £32.7 billion to £107.7 billion. Northern leaders are now urging the DfT to release its much-delayed Integrated Rail Plan.
The Hepworth Wakefield is joining forces with Jarvis Cocker and his wife Kim Sion to create a one-of-a-kind art exhibition.
And it's got the best name ever, titled 'The Hodge Podge'.
This exciting new exhibition (opening in May 2027) will include artists who have challenged mainstream ideas about what can be considered 'art'.
It will invite unlikely conversations between artists such as Jeremy Deller, Peter Doig, Barbara Hepworth, Klara Kristalova, Emma Kunz, Mark Leckey and Agnes Pelton, as well as unknown outsider and visionary artists never exhibited before in UK public museums.
Focusing on alternative means of expression, the structures of class and how communities are able to come together outside of religious or high-brow contexts, Cocker and Sion are keen to explore alternative spiritualities, psychedelia, fandom, dreams, poetry and music.
Laura Smith, Artistic Director of The Hepworth Wakefield comments: "Jarvis Cocker has a long-held interest in art, attending St Martin’s College of Art & Design in the early 1990s, and as a Yorkshireman, felt like the ideal person to work with to consider a fresh way of thinking about and experiencing art.
"The art that he and Kim have gathered together in The Hodge Podge will encourage the feelings of joy, marvel and curiosity that great works of art can inspire and offer our audiences an expanded idea of creativity and community. We are thrilled to be working with Jarvis and Kim on this incredibly exciting exhibition."
In Cocker and Sion’s The Hodge Podge Manifesto, the couple state that te exhibition provides ‘an opportunity to understand where that creative urge comes from and what it can do for you… You’d be a fool to miss it.’
Tickets for The Hodge Podge: Jarvis Cocker & Kim Sion curate The Hepworth Wakefield go on sale later this year and you can find them here.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas announces first wave of BIG names for 2026 festival
Emily Sergeant
Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI) has announced its first wave of big names on the lineup for the 2026 festival this autumn.
Returning to the city in October, LIFI is set to bring together some of the most innovative and thought-provoking minds from around the world for five days of talks, panels, and ideas that encourage conversation, connection, and curiosity - with the first three speakers having been announced today as Tim Minchin, Ashley James, and Dr Mya-Rose Craig.
The festival, which'll be taking place 6-10 October at Leeds Playhouse, says it's 'delighted' to reveal the first three names on the bill.
Tim Minchin is a musician, writer, actor and comedian, and the multiple Olivier and Helpmann Award-winning, Tony and Grammy nominated composer-lyricist of two stage musicals - including the beloved Matilda the Musical.
At LIFI26, he is set to bring three decades of songwriting, storytelling, and sharp social commentary to the stage.
LIFI26 has announced its first three speakers / Credit: Supplied
Ashley James is the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of BIMBO and a social and political commentator on ITV's This Morning, and her LIFI26 appearance promises a 'frank, funny, and fearless' contribution to an important conversation.
Finally, Dr Mya-Rose Craig is an environmentalist and race activist campaigning for equal access to nature, to stop biodiversity loss and climate change, and to ensure global climate justice, and she's set to bring a vital voice to LIFI26 on the intersections of nature, equality, and the future of our planet.
"We're thrilled to be back for another exciting year of LIFI, and these first three names set the tone for what's to come," commented Festival Director Martin Dickson as the first three speakers were announced.
"Tim, Ashley and Mya-Rose each bring something truly different - music and satire, feminism, and cultural commentary, environmental activism and youth voice.
"LIFI26 is shaping up to be our most ambitious programme yet, and we can't wait to bring it to Leeds Playhouse this October."
LIFI26 will take place from 6-10 October 2026 at Leeds Playhouse, and is brought to the city by LeedsBID and Welcome to Leeds, supported by Weightman, City of Maths, Pinsent Mason, and AV Matrix.
The full programme announcement is expected on 3 June, with tickets going on priority sale on 4 June and general sale on 10 June.
All the latest LIFI26 information can be found online here.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd August 2021 
