黑洞社区

Jeremy Corbyn has said his backing of the 拢46bn HS2 project is conditional on getting 鈥済uarantees鈥� it would not divert money from other rail projects.

In an exclusive interview with 黑洞社区, conducted in his North Islington constituency last Friday, the Labour leader also confirmed he wants his party to lead a 鈥渂ig debate鈥� on whether the line should terminate west of central London at Old Oak Common, rather than at the proposed terminus of Euston station, where he warns of 鈥渆normous鈥� disruption.

Asked if he was open to persuasion on HS2, Corbyn said: 鈥淚鈥檓 open to persuasion on increasing rail capacity. I鈥檓 concerned - and I want guarantees - that it [HS2] isn鈥檛 going to lead to removal of capital investment in the existing rail network and the need for improvements to it.鈥�

He outlined several other rail investment priorities: 鈥淩ail infrastructure in the north, particularly the east-west rail link from Manchester to Newcastle and Midland Mainline, and railways north of the central belt in Scotland because we have a very serious imbalance. Likewise railways in the South-west beyond Exeter - the Devon and Cornwall lines are very slow and they need a lot of upgrading.鈥�

Corbyn said he was working with Camden MP Keir Starmer to assess HS2鈥檚 proposals for a 拢2bn bolt-on station at London鈥檚 Euston station, .

Outlining his concerns at HS2鈥檚 Euston plans, he said: 鈥淭he disruption is enormous. There is a problem with the capacity of the Victoria line to cope with that number of passengers all being pushed down on to those platforms.

鈥淭he Victoria line, like the Picadilly line, already has a problem of too narrow platforms and despite it running 39 trains an hour - which is amazing - but it can鈥檛 go beyond that, you physically could not go more than that number of trains per hour so you鈥檙e at capacity level there already.

鈥淪o I think there鈥檚 a bit of a discussion going to go on about whether you use Old Oak Common [as a terminus] or not.鈥�

Corbyn noted that the House of Lords鈥� Economic Affairs Committee report on HS2 in March recommended that the government should reassess whether to terminate HS2 at Old Oak Common.

He conceded: 鈥淚t鈥檚 likely HS2 will be underway by the time we go into government in 2020鈥�.

Corbyn also said shadow home secretary Andy Burnham鈥檚 call for a public inquiry into the construction blacklisting scandal had his 鈥渁bsolute approval and support鈥�, as he described the practice as 鈥渁bsolutely outrageous鈥� and an 鈥渁bomination鈥�.

Corbyn said he 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� would use his position as leader to raise the profile of the issue, adding: 鈥淏lacklisting is an abomination. It鈥檚 out with the European Convention of Human Rights. It鈥檚 a denial of the human rights of the individual. The idea that groups of workers - in this case often building workers, but not exclusively - should be prevented ever for working again is absolutely outrageous.鈥�

When asked if he backed the Scottish Affairs Committee鈥檚 recommendation that contractors that blacklisted, or did not make proper reparations for past blacklisting, should be denied public contracts, he replied: 鈥淚 think if you鈥檙e doing business with the private sector you鈥檝e got to be very clear that the public procurement can produce a public good in the sense that you can do business with companies that do train people, do have apprenticeships, do pay the living wage.

鈥淭hat happens already with TfL, it happens with many local authorities, and exactly the same should apply to an open employment charter. But you don鈥檛 use secret evidence against people who鈥檝e actually done nothing wrong other than hold political views. We live in a democracy.鈥�

Read the first part of 黑洞社区鈥檚 exclusive interview with the Labour leader here -