Bus fares will remain at £2, Rishi Sunak promises Tory Party Conference

Rishi Sunak pledges to keep £2 bus fare at Tory Party Conference (Image: GETTY) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to keep the £2 bus fare across England at the Conservative Party Conference today. The multi-million-pound initiative was originally launched as a temporary measure at the start of the year to help people with the rising cost of living pressures.  Following an extension in May, the price was due to remain at £2 until October 31, 2023, to help people save even more money on travel and encourage the use of buses.  During his speech, Mr Sunak said the Government will deliver “70 other road schemes”, “resurface roads across the country” and “keep the £2 bus fare across the whole country”. The move forms part of what Mr Sunak named Network North, which involves a series of wider transport projects and improvements to road, rail and bus schemes. Mr Sunak announced a series of new transport schemes after cutting HS2 north of Birmingham. (Image: Getty) After confirming the Government will be controversially scrapping the northern leg of HS2 , Mr Sunak announced he would spend “every single penny” of the £36billion saved to invest in new transport projects in the North and Midlands. Mr Sunak said: “This means £36billion of investment in the project that will make a real difference across our nation.” He noted: “We will protect the £12billion to link up Manchester and Liverpool as planned and we’ll engage with local leaders on how best to deliver that scheme”. He added: “We’ll build the Midlands Rail Hub connecting 50 different stations, we will help Andy Street extend the West Midlands Metro, we will build the Leeds tram, we will electrify the North Wales mainline, upgrade A1, the A2, the A5, the M6.” “We will connect our union with the A75, boosting links between Scotland and Northern Ireland.” Mr Sunak also promised a major new development around Euston station that will save £6.5billion compared to HS2 plans. He said: “The management of HS2 will no longer be responsible for the Euston site. There must be some accountability for the mistakes made, for the mismanagement of this project. “We will instead create a new Euston development zone building thousands of new homes for the next generation of homeowners, new business opportunities and a station that delivers the capacity we need. “And in doing so, for the first time in the lifecycle of this project, we will have cut costs. The £6.5billion of savings that Mark (Harper) and I are making will be taken from the Euston site and given to the rest of the country.” Challenging opponents of his transport plan, Mr Sunak added: “For too long people in Westminster have invested in the transport they want, not the transport the rest of the country – particularly the North and the Midlands – wants and needs. “And to those who disagree, who will focus on what I have stopped, I ask you to consider what we have just created with Network North. “An alternative which in place of one delayed and overrunning project will now begin hundreds upon hundreds of new projects, large and small, road and rail, bus and train covering the whole country that will be delivered faster, that will see every region receiving more investment than they would have done.”