If Sir David Higgins was under any illusion as to the political sensitivity of HS2 (and the blog is 100% sure he was not!) then the fury of Leeds and Sheffield over the indication that a North West Hub at Crewe will lead the way into the North will have cleared the air for him.
Leaders in Yorkshire see the Crewe proposals as ensuring that the North West will benefit first from HS2 and that Yorkshire will lag behind.