Evening Standard comment: Time for the PM to say yes to High Speed 2 | Help Britons in Wuhan | Tap into teen spirit

Politicians like to remember the motto of a brave French Prime Minister, Pierre Mendès-France: “To govern is to choose.”

He ran his country in the mid-Fifties. But not for long. Putting his words to work he found making choices — in his case trying to bring peace to Vietnam — was a rapid route out of power.

Of course Boris Johnson is a lot more secure than that. He has a huge election win behind him. But even for him, taking decisions isn’t easy.

Helpfully, on the two big ones he has planned for this week, it’s clear what he should do.

One is whether to allow a limited role for the Chinese telecoms company Huawei in building Britain’s 5G network. The other is whether to go ahead with the High Speed 2 rail line. Both projects are central to his promise to bring the country together through better infrastructure.

Both are necessary. Neither, if he decides not to go ahead, can be easily replaced by an alternative.

The choice is get going or hit the buffers, and Mr Johnson is not the sort of Prime Minister who wants to do that.

On Huawei, Britain faces very strong pressure from the United States to say no. But there are two reasons why tomorrow’s meeting of the National Security Council should resist.

First, we’re told that intelligence chiefs are advising the Prime Minister that the risks to security can be managed — and they know what they are talking about.

GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence, cyber and security agency, is a world leader. If it thinks the decision is safe, then it is. Second, there isn’t an equivalent substitute that could fill the gap.

Developing alternative technology, let alone some alternative European supplier, would take years.

On HS2, the decision is simpler still. Parliament has backed it, repeatedly. Work has actually started. Cities in the Midlands and the North want it and need it. A review commissioned by the Prime Minister advises him to build it. The Government’s promise to invest in infrastructure and rebalance the country’s economy would turn to dust if it cancelled a huge national project designed to do exactly this.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to end the dither and delay on HS2 — but in this case the dither and delay was created by him.

He should govern — and choose in favour.

Help Britons in Wuhan

For the 11 million Chinese people in coronavirus-struck Wuhan, this is a worrying time. For foreign citizens in the city and their families it is particularly alarming.

Quite rightly, they expect advice and help from their governments.

We know that’s not easy to provide, when the infection is spreading and travel restrictions are in place. But that makes it all the more important that embassies step in to help.

The Foreign Office says it is making “an option available” for British citizens to leave. But many of those there seem to be in the dark about the plans.

Meanwhile France says it has plans for a direct flight, Japan is planning to evacuate its 560 citizens there and the US is acting too.

It’s vital that our Government does not leave British citizens behind in this crisis.

Tap into teen spirit

The kids are alright. Greta Thunberg has shown how a 17-year-old can influence the global agenda, and now Billie Eilish has become the youngest musician to win Grammy awards in four major categories.

When critics ask what a teenager can have to say, Eilish counters that her take is valuable because she is feeling these emotions for the first time.

Her stripped-back electro-pop brilliantly breaks all the rules of music, covering mental health, climate change and heartache in raw and darkly witty style.

We congratulate the singer — and look forward to hearing what she does with her next assignment, the Bond theme tune.

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Taking plunge on HS2 may be right thing to do, says minister