HS2 news - live: Sunak insists he’s committed to levelling up as rail backlash grows

Rishi Sunak has insisted he is committed to levelling up despite again failing to confirm that the northern leg of HS2 rail project will go ahead.

The prime minister refused to comment on what he described as “speculation” about part of the line being axed.The Independent first revealed two weeks ago that Mr Sunak was considering scrapping plans for the high-speed rail network between Birmingham and Manchester over concerns about its spiralling cost.

Speaking today on a visit to a community centre in Hertfordshire, the PM said: “What I would say is we’re absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the North but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country.”

Earlier, Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham warned that ditching the northern phase of HS2 would be a disaster of “epic proportions” for the region.

An announcement is expected before the Tory Party conference in Manchester next weekend and The Independent understands the northern phase of HS2 could be delayed by up to seven years as part of a bid to scrap the project in the long-term.

HS2 - 26/09/2023

• Sunak: I won’t speculate on future of HS2

• Burnham: Scrapping HS2 would be a disaster for north of England

• Northern phase to be delayed for 7 years

• Sunak reportedly mulling plans to axe HS2

Key dates of the HS2 rail project

Monday 25 September 2023 19:15 , Martha Mchardy

Read a timeline of key events in the HS2 rail project:

Key dates of the HS2 rail project

Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure from senior Tories not to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 rail line ahead of the party’s conference in the city.

The Independent understands the prime minister is set to delay the Birmingham to Manchester high-speed line by up to seven years as part of a bid to ditch the project in the long term.

Former chancellor George Osborne and ex-deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine warned that axing the route to Manchester would be a “gross act of vandalism” which would mean “abandoning” the north and Midlands.

Adam Forrest reports:

Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2

Rail experts say downscaling HS2 would be ‘commercial and operational mess’

Monday 25 September 2023 17:45 , Martha Mchardy

Downscaling HS2 would create “a commercial and operational mess”, industry experts have warned.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are reported to be meeting to discuss the future of the high-speed rail project in the coming days.

There is speculation the leg from Birmingham to Manchester will be cancelled or delayed while Euston will be axed, both in response to soaring costs.

Neil Lancefield reports:

Rail experts say downscaling HS2 would be ‘commercial and operational mess’

Watch: Andy Burnham makes HS2 plea to Rishi Sunak

Monday 25 September 2023 17:00 , Martha Mchardy

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged Rishi Sunak to avoid scrapping HS2.

He warned that the decision would leave the north of England with “Victorian infrastructure”.

Speaking on Monday morning, Mr Burnham questioned why those living in the region are treated as “second-class citizens”.

Lib Dems pile pressure on Sunak over HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 16:16 , Matt Mathers

The Liberal Democrats have used their annual gathering in Bournemouth to pile fresh pressure on the Conservatives over HS2. Peer Jenny Randerson told the Lib Dem conference her party wants HS2 to go “the full way”.

Baroness Randerson, the party’s spokesman on transport in the House of Lords, said: “We have supported HS2 from the start and want it to go the full way.

“The shorter it becomes, the more it costs per mile and the less there is any point in it. It needs to be delivered throughout, forget all this truncating, let’s go back to what it was planned from the start.

“As part of that, you have to get the cost back under control. One of the reasons it is totally out of control is because we keep stopping and starting, and you have this added uncertainty.”

She said cities such as Manchester have attracted investment “possibly on false pretences” if the link does not go ahead. “Can you imagine what that does to our reputation as a nation for the future?” she added.

“We are now the nation that cannot build a railway, when we invented the railway,” she said.

HS2 says work in Buckinghamshire is bringing ‘real benefits to passengers today’

Monday 25 September 2023 15:47 , Matt Mathers

A multi-million pound project to enable HS2 trains to run under an existing rail line will bring immediate benefits to passengers, HS2 and Network Rail said.

More than one mile of a branch line in Buckinghamshire between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough is being realigned, including with the construction of a new bridge.

This will enable HS2 trains running between London and Birmingham to pass beneath. Neil Lancefield reports:

HS2 says work in Buckinghamshire is bringing ‘real benefits to passengers today’

Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 15:17 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure from senior Tories not to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 rail line ahead of the party’s conference in Manchester, Adam Forrest reports.

The Independent understands the prime minister is set to delay the Birmingham to Manchester high-speed line by up to seven years as part of a bid to ditch the project in the long term.

Former chancellor George Osborne and ex-deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine warned that axing the route to Manchester would be a “gross act of vandalism” which would mean “abandoning” the north and Midlands.

Full report:

Tory titans out to derail Sunak over HS2

Rail experts say downscaling HS2 would be ‘commercial and operational mess’

Monday 25 September 2023 15:00 , Matt Mathers

Downscaling HS2 would create “a commercial and operational mess”, industry experts have warned.

William Barter, a railway consultant whose recent clients include the Department for Transport, told the PA news agency this would result in “80 per cent of the costs and 20 per cent of the benefits”, while rail engineer and writer Gareth Dennis claimed it would be a “stupid decision”.

Under existing plans, HS2 trains will run on high-speed lines between London and Manchester, as well as running on existing lines to destinations such as Glasgow, Liverpool and North Wales.

Full report:

Rail experts say downscaling HS2 would be ‘commercial and operational mess’

Khan: HS2 could be ‘shuttle service’ between west London and Birmingham

Monday 25 September 2023 14:45 , Matt Mathers

Sadiq Khan has said he is “astonished” that HS2 could become a “shuttle service” between Birmingham and west London.

“I’m astonished and alarmed and it’s worth reminding people what this will mean. This will mean that in future journeys from Birmingham, to the centre of London on High Speed 2 will take longer than it currently takes,” the Labour mayor of London told the Press Association.

“I’m astonished that the government’s allowed costs to escalate the way they have. They’ve been in power since 2010, but I’m also astonished they are seriously considering having a High Speed 2 line that is a shuttle service between Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common, which is six miles to the west of central London.”

He added: “Also in Euston – they have destroyed businesses, they’ve demolished homes. They’ve let down a community. Euston is a cluster of Life Sciences, of tech, of education, of a culture and they will miss out on this investment as will communities north of Birmingham and Manchester.”

Passenger numbers have bounced back since Covid, says rail industry body

Monday 25 September 2023 14:30 , Matt Mathers

Rail passengers are returning despite the changes brought about by Covid, according to the Railway Industry Association.

Simon Calder reports: The body – which represents companies that stand to benefit from the construction of HS2 – says passenger numbers were 17 per cent down on pre-pandemic numbers in the last three months of 2022, but in spring and summer this year the figures are just 4 per cent down.

Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “One of the reasons cited by critical politicians for scrapping HS2 Phase 2 is that passenger numbers are significantly down and people will not travel by train in future.

“This is plain wrong, and all of us associated with the railway industry should be out there publicly refuting this assertion. In fact, today’s passenger levels are already significantly higher than when the business case for HS2 was approved, and have been growing back strongly since the pandemic.

“In the last six months, passenger numbers have been averaging 96 per cent of pre-Covid levels, despite strikes and poor service levels on some parts of the network.

“In short, passengers have been returning in droves around the country and there is no evidence this trend upwards will not continue in future. With a growing population, and a generally agreed need to level-up and decarbonise, now is clearly not the time for the government to be scrapping major project like HS2 Phase 2 – the main benefit of the scheme being it frees up much-needed capacity on the West Coast, Midlands and East Coast Mainlines for the increasing numbers of passengers we are going to see in the years ahead.”

IFS director Paul Johnson: Chaos around HS2 makes me ‘want to weep’

Monday 25 September 2023 14:15 , Matt Mathers

Paul Johnson has said the chaos around HS2 makes him “want to weep” and the end result will be a “total waste" of money, Archie Mitchell reports.

The influential economist said he did not support the high speed rail project initially, claiming it was “going to be hugely expensive with relatively little gain”.

Mr Johnson told Times Radio: “It makes me want to weep, it just makes me despair.

“The original sin, as it were, was agreeing to do it in the first place. It was obviously going to be hugely expensive, with relatively little gain from it relative to pretty much anything else you could have done with the railway or transport system, whether that’s making rail connections across the north vastly better or actually building a bunch of bypasses and improving the roundabouts in the road network.

“And we knew that, that this was not the best way you could spend that amount of money. We also know how difficult we find it to build these projects."

Mr Johnson added: "It rather looks like we’re going to totally waste the money on this in producing a rail at the cost of tens of billions, which will get you from Birmingham to central London less quickly than you can do at the moment."

Shapps says HS2 cannot have ‘open-ended cheque’ as Sunak set to wield axe

Monday 25 September 2023 14:00 , Matt Mathers

It would be “irresponsible” to keep ploughing money into the HS2 project in the face of rising costs, a cabinet minister said as Rishi Sunak considered scrapping the route from Birmingham to Manchester.

Former transport secretary Grant Shapps said the scheme risked sucking up money which could be used on other local projects as ministers considered the future of the project.

Mr Shapps said the government could not write an “open-ended cheque” if costs were “inexorably going higher and higher”.

David Hughes reports:

Shapps says HS2 cannot have ‘open-ended cheque’ as Sunak set to wield axe

How The Independent revealed Sunak’s plan to cut HS2 - and how the government reacted

Monday 25 September 2023 13:50 , Matt Mathers

On Wednesday 13 September, TheIndependent revealed top-level talks were taking place between Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt about whether to scrap parts of the high-speed rail project HS2.

The much-delayed and overbudget scheme is for a rail line linking some of the country’s largest cities, intended to connect London, the Midlands and the north of England, with construction split into three phases.

Downing Street was evasive when approached for comment – but refused to deny discussions were taking place. Our story even appeared to be news to HS2’s project managers, as well as the Department for Transport.

Read the full report:

How The Independent revealed Sunak’s plan to cut HS2 - and how the government reacted

Watch: Burnham’s plea to Sunak on HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 13:30 , Matt Mathers

Andy Burnham has urged Rishi Sunak to avoid scrapping HS2, warning that the decision would leave the north of England with “Victorian infrastructure”.

Speaking on Monday morning (25 September), the mayor of Greater Manchester questioned why those living in the region are treated as “second-class citizens”.

“We need new north-south rail lines and we need new east-west rail lines, London has never been forced to choose between those two things,” Mr Burnham said.

“London gets everything. Why should we always be forced to choose? Why should the public here always be treated as second-class citizens?”

Watch the clip here:

Burnham makes HS2 plea to Sunak: ‘Why should we be treated as second-class citizens?’

HS2: Timeline of the key events

Monday 25 September 2023 13:06 , Matt Mathers

HS2 has suffered a number of delays since the government decided to press ahead with the project more than a decade ago.

The high-speed rail network, designed to better connect London and the southeast to the north, has also faced a number of legal challenges.

It has been a controversial project since plans to build it first emerged in 2009 under the then Labour government.

Below is a timeline of the key events:

Key dates of the HS2 rail project

No 10 declines to comment on future of HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 12:49 , Matt Mathers

Downing Street is still declining to comment on the future of HS2 after The Independent revealed that Rishi Sunak and the chancellor are considering scrapping the northern leg between Birmingham and Manchester.

The prime minister spoke to reporters earlier while on a visit to Hertfordshire and declined to give his backing to the project while insisting he was committed to levelling up.

His official spokesman has also repeatedly declined to comment on what the PM earlier described as “speculation” about the future of the project.

The spokesman said that the government would continue to have a “good record” on levelling up, amid anger in northern England over the renewed uncertainty over the fate of the rail project.

“Without getting into a specific project, I think the government has and will continue to have a good record about levelling up and driving growth in the north,” the spokesman said.

Gordon Brown: Giving up on HS2 will cause ‘confusion and chaos’

Monday 25 September 2023 12:30 , Matt Mathers

Gordon Brown has said giving up on HS2 would cause “confusion and chaos” - especially for Manchester and the rest of the north of England, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former prime minister said it is “very sad” politicians cannot agree to build “basic infrastructure” such as the northern link of the high speed rail network.

And he said Britain is in danger of being stuck with “19th century solutions to 21st century problems”.

Mr Brown told LBC: “Every country in Europe is doing high speed rail. It’s becoming the norm rather than the exception, and Britain is in danger of having 19th century solutions to 21st century problems.

“If you embark on a big infrastructure project, you cause confusion and chaos, particularly for Manchester and for the areas in the north, where they also want east/west links as well as north/south links, if you just give up on a project halfway through it.

“ It does not make sense for us to give up all the work that has been done. But again, there should be an all-party consensus on this. This is long term infrastructure, irrespective of which party is in power, which party actually exists.

“We’re talking about a future 50 years ahead. And we’ve got to really plan that on the basis that we can get some agreement between the parties.”

Labour declines to say if it will build northern leg of HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 12:11 , Matt Mathers

Labour has declined to say whether it would press ahead with building the northern leg of HS2 amid reports that Rishi Sunak is about to scrap it amid soaring costs and several delays.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, said his party supported building the line between Birmingham and Manchester but could not make any promises without a review of the public finances.

Speaking to TalkTV, Mr Ashworth called on Mr Sunak to clarify his position after the prime minister did not confirm whether the plan would go ahead, saying he would not comment on what he described as “speculation”.

More comments from Mr Ashworth below:

Tory MPs warn Sunak against ‘odd’ HS2 decision

Monday 25 September 2023 11:42 , Matt Mathers

The Tory MP for Crewe, Kieran Mullan, has also warned against axing HS2’s northern leg, Adam Forrest reports. “What has become of the UK, the original home of the railways?” Mr Mullan said.

“Do not leave the UK business community and, in fact, the world business community, doubting whether we can ever deliver on big and bold projects, or whether we can be a trusted investment partner,” he wrote in the i. “Don’t send the wrong message about the potential locked up in the North and the Midlands.”

Steve Brine, chair of the health select committee, said it would look “odd” to scrap the scheme in the days before Tory MPs and activists arrive in Manchester for their annual conference on Sunday.

“It would seem very odd for us to be in Manchester next week and can a project to Manchester,” Mr Brine told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour. “It would seem very odd not to bring this new rail line into central London and just stop it at Old Oak Common. So I really hope a way can be found to do this.”

Tory donor threatens to pull funds if Sunak axes HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 11:32 , Matt Mathers

A leading Conservative party donor has threatened to pull funding if Rishi Sunak scraps the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2, Adam Forrest reports.

The anonymous donor told The Guardian: “Generations of my family have been proud to support what was the party of business. We’ve given year in, year out for decades and been active in the party.

“But I’ve spoken to other donors, and several of them feel – possibly for the first time ever – recent events seriously call into question the ability to continue to support people who don’t do what they say they’d do.”

Jürgen Maier, former chief executive of Siemens UK, said: “The business community is in total shock and investor confidence is as low as I have ever seen it in my long years of engaging with our government.”

The vice-chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership told Channel 4 News that building HS2 without the northern leg would make it the “most useless and most expensive piece of high-speed line in the whole of Europe”.

Where does Labour stand on HS2 – and Northern Powerhouse Rail?

Monday 25 September 2023 11:22 , Matt Mathers

One week ago, Labour’s shadow minister without portfolio, Nick Thomas-Symonds, was unequivocal about the party’s commitment to High Speed 2, Simon Calder reports.

He told the BBC’s PM programme on 18 September: “We will build HS2 in full, and we will build Northern Powerhouse Rail in full. That’s the clear pledge that we’ve given.”

Evan Davis, the presenter, then intervened, saying: "Just to be clear, when you say ‘in full’ do you mean to Manchester, or do you mean to Leeds as well as Manchester – that was the original vision?

Mr Thomas-Symonds replied: “It’s both to Manchester and indeed the eastern leg that you have referred to to Leeds, but also Northern Powerhouse Rail across from Liverpool to Leeds – indeed the new line through Bradford.”

Six days later, though, Labour watered down the promise. Darren Jones, the new shadow chief secretary for the Treasury, said: “The Labour Party would love to see HS2 built, including the branch to Leeds. We’ve long said that.”

But he said no commitment could be made until "proper" information had been made available by the government.

HS2 will be left as ‘toy town’ rail if northern leg axed, warns Heseltine

Monday 25 September 2023 11:15 , Matt Mathers

Michael Heseltine, former deputy PM, said the “essence” of levelling up was linking the north to the more “prosperous” south, Adam Forrest reports.

The Tory grandee warned of a “slippery slope” in the loss of confidence among investors.

“A vital part of it is HS2, so if they now cancel that vital part – the Birmingham to Manchester bit – that would send a very clear signal that the levelling up agenda has been put on deep freeze,” he told Sky News.

Lord Heseltine said the countryside had been ripped up “to build, potentially, a kind of toy town rail”. He added: “Who wants a faster rail between London and Birmingham [alone]? And it’s not even there, because it doesn’t even go to Euston.”

Tory former chancellor George Osborne penned an op-ed with Lord Heseltine warning that axing the Manchester route would be a “gross act of vandalism”.

More comments from Lord Heseltine and Mr Osbourne in the clip and story below:

Scrapping HS2 would be ‘gross act of vandalism’, Osborne and Heseltine warn

Tory big beasts turn on Rishi Sunak’s ‘insane’ plan to scrap HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 11:00 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak is facing open revolt from the top of his own party, key advisers and business leaders over HS2 after The Independent’s revelations about plans to ditch the multibillion-pound project.

Two former Tory prime ministers, the government’s infrastructure tsar, northern powerhouse groups and mayors both north and south all came out on Saturday to slam Mr Sunak.

Jon Stone reports:

Tory big beasts turn on Rishi Sunak’s ‘insane’ plan to scrap HS2

Sunak: I won’t speculate on future of HS2

Monday 25 September 2023 10:47 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak has insisted he is committed to levelling up despite declining to back building HS2 to the north in the face of warnings by senior Tories not to axe the rail project, Adam Forrest reports.

Grilled on HS2 while visiting a community centre in Hertfordshire, the PM said: “I’m not going to comment on that type of speculation. But what I would say is we’re absolutely committed to levelling up and spreading opportunity around the country, not just in the North but in the Midlands, in all other regions of our fantastic country.”

“And transport infrastructure is a key part of that, not just big rail projects, but also local projects, improving local bus services, fixing pot holes, all of these things make a difference in people’s day-to-day lives."

Pressed, yes or no, whether it will go ahead, Mr Sunak insisted: “This kind of speculation that people are making is not right. We’ve got spades in the ground, we’re getting on and delivering.”

Tories must call election if they want to scrap HS2 - Burnham

Monday 25 September 2023 10:33 , Matt Mathers

Andy Burnham has called for a general election if the Tories want to scrap the northern leg of HS2, adding they have “no mandate to do it”, Archie Mitchell reports.

The mayor of Greater Manchester has said going ahead with plans to cut phase two of the project would turn the north south divide into a “chasm”.

Mr Burnham told Times Radio: "The Conservative Party stood before voters here in Bolton and said, we will level you up, we will invest in the north of England, we will ensure that the north gets the same standard of infrastructure as elsewhere.

“And if they pull the plug, well quite frankly, those commitments that they made will be utterly meaningless. And I would say they shouldn’t really be taking this decision without calling a general election because it would just not be right for them to do what they’re reportedly planning to do when they do not have a mandate to do it."

He added that scrapping the northern leg would “leave the north of England with Victorian rail infrastructure for the rest of this century, while the southern half of the country has modern high speed lines”.

Rail passengers face eight more days of industrial action

Monday 25 September 2023 10:30 , Matt Mathers

While the future of intercity rail remains unclear, it is certain that no trains will run on the West Coast main line next Saturday, 30 September, nor on Wednesday 4 October, Simon Calder reports. The train drivers’ union, Aslef, has announced the next round of industrial action in its long and bitter dispute with 14 English train operators over pay, jobs and working conditions.

Drivers will walk out on 30 September and 4 October, triggering the cancellation of thousands of trains on each day and wrecking millions of planned journeys.

In addition the union has announced an overtime ban on Friday 29 September and from Monday 2 to Friday 6 October – disrupting rail travel for over a week. The strikes are timed to hit the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, which begins on Sunday 1 October – the day after the first walk-out – and ends on Wednesday 4 October, the day of the second stoppage.

Announcing the strike, Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “While we regret having to take this action – we don’t want to lose a day’s pay, or disrupt passengers as they try to travel by train – the government, and the employers have forced us into this position.

“Our members have not, now, had a pay rise for four years – since 2019 – and that’s not right when prices have soared in that time. Train drivers, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago.”

Could Old Oak Common be renamed West London Parkway?

Monday 25 September 2023 10:29 , Matt Mathers

Simon Calder has this analysis on the HS2 link from Old Oak Cmmon

Ministers have already said that the HS2 link from Old Oak Common in west London to Euston station may not open until 2040 – with leaks suggesting it may be abandoned completely, even though work at Euston is well under way, Simon Calder reports.

Writing earlier this year, travel correspondent Mr Calder said: “Old Oak Common is a scruffy, ill-defined area at the top end of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, adjoining Wormwood Scrubs – itself ambitiously described as a nature reserve.

"I imagine that, by the time the station opens, it will be called ‘West London Parkway’. But it won’t move any closer to the centre of the capital.

“A skeletal service will appropriately grind to a halt just west of Kensal Green cemetery, in a part of northwest London where almost no one wants to be.”

He described the plan as a “Ryanair” approach to placenames” – Europe’s biggest budget airline has long been ambitious in naming some of its less-celebrated airports).

“Inter-city rail journeys should not be inter-suburban,” he concluded. “Travellers deserve, and demand, better.”

No decision has been made on HS2 - minister

Monday 25 September 2023 10:27 , Matt Mathers

No decision has been made on whether to cut the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 following a “regrettable” rise in costs of the rail project, according to a Government minister.

Housing minister Rachel Maclean told LBC: “There is no decision to stop it yet, but it is right that we look at patterns of travel.

“There is investment going into railways, we’ve put investment into buses across the country — connectivity is vitally important to grow the economy, so we have to look at the priorities across the whole of the demands on transport more broadly, and of course the road network is important in this.”

Ms Maclean added: “There is speculation and I know the prime minister and the chancellor are looking at this. It is right that they are looking at it. It is a project that has ballooned in cost.”

Burnham: Scrapping project will leave north with ‘Victorian’ infrastructure for rest of century

Monday 25 September 2023 10:24 , Matt Mathers

As we’ve been reporting, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burham has urged the PM not to scrap plans for the northern leg of HS2.

Here are more of his comments to the Today programme earlier this morning:

“Scrapping HS2 rips the heart out of northern powerhouse rail.

“It would leave the north of England with Victorian infrastructure, probably for the rest of this century.

“And if we’re trapped with that old infrastructure and the southern half of the country has new lines that is a recipe for the north-south divide to become a north-south chasm, the very opposite of the levelling up that we were promised in this parliament.”

Northern phase to be delayed by seven years

Monday 25 September 2023 10:14 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak is set to delay the northern phase of HS2 by up to seven years as part of a bid to scrap the project in the long term, The Independent understands.

The prime minister will this week decide the fate of the high-speed rail project, with an announcement expected before the Tory conference in Manchester next weekend.

Ministers are expected to say that work on the railway north of Birmingham will be delayed in order to move costs into a future parliament – kicking the project into the long grass.

Jon Stone reports:

At last the truth - HS2 hits the end of the line

Monday 25 September 2023 10:12 , Matt Mathers

The Independent revealed on 14 September that Mr Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, were in discussions about scrapping the second stage of HS2 amid spiralling costs and severe delays.

A cost estimate, seen by The Independent, reveals that the government has already spent £2.3bn on stage two of the high-speed railway from Birmingham to Manchester but shelving the northern phase would save up to £34bn.

You can read the full original report here:

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt in talks to scrap phase two of HS2 as costs spiral

Recap: What is HS2, where will it go and when will it be completed?

Monday 25 September 2023 10:06 , Matt Mathers

All the noise coming from Downing Street suggests that Rishi Sunak is about to perform a major U-turn by scrapping the northern leg of the HS2 rail project, linking London to the north of England.

But what exactly is HS2, where will it go and when is it due to be completed?

Jane Dalton and Simon Calder have this handy explainer to get you up to speed.

Monday 25 September 2023 09:57 , Matt Mathers

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the HS2 rail project.

Rishi Sunak is said to be considering plans to scrap the northern leg of the high speed rail network over concerns about its cost.

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said doing so would be a disaster of “epic proportions” for the region.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on this story.