News Tory Andy Street 'threatened to quit as mayoral candidate if Boris didn't approve HS2' Lord Berkeley, deputy chairman of the PM’s review into the high-speed rail link, claimed the mayor piled pressure on the Prime Minister to proceed with plans but Mr Street denied he had threatened to resign Share Pippa Crerar Daily Mirror Political Editor 23:00, 10 FEB 2020 Andy Street, who is hoping for re-election in May (Image: Birmingham Mail) Sign up to FREE daily email alerts from Mirror - politics Subscribe We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Senior Tory Andy Street threatened to quit as mayoral candidate for the West Midlands if Boris Johnson did not give the green light to HS2 reaching Birmingham, it is claimed.

Lord Berkeley, deputy chairman of the PM’s review into the high-speed rail link, claimed the mayor piled pressure on Mr Johnson to proceed.

But Mr Street, hoping for re-election in May, failed to turn up to meetings and missed a key hearing about the costs, he alleged.

Despite the opposition of dozens of Tory MPs, the PM is expected to approve the first stage of the high-speed line from London to the Midlands today. The HS2 construction site at Euston Station in London pictured in August last year (Image: PA) Read More