A MERSEY MP has dismissed a study that claimed a high-speed rail link from London to the edge of Liverpool would backfire by widening the North-South divide.

Esther McVey, the Conservative MP for Wirral West, insisted the 250mph trains (HS2) were vital to hopes of "spreading wealth and opportunities" to less prosperous areas, such as Liverpool.

And she pointed out that a study of the likely economic boost from the first high-speed line (HS1) – from London to the Channel Tunnel – had massively underestimated the benefits.

A forecast had suggested HS1 would pump £500m into the local economy, but the figure was eventually calculated at £10bn – 20 times as great.

In an article for MPs, Ms McVey wrote: "Countries around the world that have invested in high-speed rail – including France, Germany, Spain, China and Japan – all showed significant growth along the line.

"HS2 is about uniting the country and spreading wealth and opportunities to areas that desperately need them. We need it to happen sooner rather than later and for all Northern cities to have a link into it."

Ms McVey spoke out after a Parliamentary inquiry heard that evidence from abroad suggested investment and jobs would be sucked from "peripheral regions" to a "dominant capital" by 250mph trains.

Professor John Tomaney, professor of regional development at Newcastle University, also warned that jobs could shift from Liverpool to Manchester – which will be directly connected to the flagship line.

Under the plans, high-speed trains would slow to conventional speed outside Liverpool, although London-Liverpool journey times would still be slashed from 2hrs 10mins to 1hr 37mins.

But Ms McVey said the “Y-shaped” HS2 network – with twin lines, north of Birmingham, to Manchester and Leeds – was expected to deliver a £44bn boost to the British economy. Merseyside had "potentially transformational" plans for growth, including the proposed SuperPort development and the International Trade Centre, on Wirral.