Minister has warned that HS2 is an “orca” who could “tear the arm” of the next prime minister.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Kit Malthouse, the highest minister in the Cabinet officetold the Telegraph that the HS2 project was akin to an “orca” and suggested it was one of the projects that could pose problems for the next incumbent of No. 10.
The government-backed project comes with promises that it will drive growth in all parts of the country, but its opponents have attacked the huge costs associated with the plan.
Malthouse, who served as police secretary just a few weeks ago but took the job in the forced reshuffle of Boris Johnson, will only be allowed to fill the cabinet role for the summer, as the Tory party chooses between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss for his new leader.
But he warned the paper that the… Government is confronted by “orcas”, namely “the big projects that sit there below the surface, waiting to break above the waves and rip your arm off”.
He contrasted those with “hornets” plaguing the government – issues such as the cost of living crisis, strikes and NHS backlogs.
“The engine is actually quite good at the moment, and my predecessors have built a pretty good engine,” he said of the Cabinet Office.
“But it is one that is recovering from Covid.
“During the pandemic, it was very focused on its Covid work. And dealing with that particular national international emergency was a huge moment for the Cabinet Office. And it did remarkable things.
“But now it’s time for us to get away from that kind of big unifocal activity and look at all these other things.”
He continued: “These are the big projects sitting there below the surface, waiting to break above the waves and rip your arm off. Large projects involving a lot of money, which often require a lot of sophisticated leadership and management.
“And we just need to make sure we’ve properly assessed the risk of that for a new prime minister.”
He said HS2 is a “big project and definitely on the list” of so-called “orcas”.
“HS2 is clearly making significant progress,” he said.
“What I want is that when a new prime minister comes along, he or she can say to me, Kit, what should I be worried about? That is the exercise we will be doing for the next four to six weeks.”
A spokesman for HS2 Ltd said: “With over 350 active construction sites between London and Crewe, three giant tunnel machines currently underground, and work on our viaducts and stations having begun, HS2 is on budget and making fantastic progress.
“In addition, the project employs more than 26,000 people, with tens of thousands of additional jobs supported by our wider supply chain, and more than 2,500 companies have awarded HS2 contracts to date.
“HS2 is zero-carbon public transport that will play a vital role in the government’s ambitions to improve the Midlands and the North.”