Petition HS2 Extension to include Liverpool as destination

Liverpool will be the only major Northern city excluded from the extension plans of HS2 in its current format and future planning.
In its current format, the HS2 extension will exclude the country's 7th largest city whose city region population is 2 million generating a GVA of £19bn-£22bn per annum. Smaller towns of less economic importance and population will be served by the HS2 extension however.
Because of the resulting longer Liverpool to London travelling times, the city will lose out to its competitors further in private investment following this real, competitive edge. Moreover, the inclusion of Manchester Airport as a destination on the line will further impoverish the competition supplied by other local airports.
As taxpayers expected to pay for this national project we the undersigned believe that any fast rail extension serving the North of Britain should be fairly planned to include ALL the "main" population centres and not disadvantage or favour any one city.