HS2 Northern could be axed (Image: Getty)
Downing Street has refused to guarantee HS2 will run to Manchester following reports Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt could scrap the project’s second phase.
The Northern leg of the high speed rail line is beset by spiralling costs and delays.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said, “spades are already in the ground on our HS2 programme and we’re focused on delivering it”, but would not promise the line will continue north of the Midlands.
A newspaper reported that a leaked -document appeared to show ￡2.3billion has already been spent on stage two of the line from Birmingham to Manchester but up to ￡35billion could be saved by -scrapping it.
There are also concerns about -the environmental impact of the project, intended to link London, the Midlands and the North of England.
READ MORE: Red tape and nimbyism blamed as vital projects 'cost 850% more in UK than EU'
Tory MP Simon Clarke said: “We should 100 per cent scrap phase two.” He blasted the cost overruns, adding that travel patterns after Covid made “the case clear”.
John O’Connell, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s been clear since day one this project was going to come off the rails.”
The initial opening date of 2026 has been shunted back to 2033, while cost -estimates for the project have spiralled from around ￡33billion in 2010 to ￡71billion in 2019.
Former Chancellor George Osborne said ditching the line would be a “mistake”. He added: “HS2 will transform connectivity -to the North of England. And -it would be a real, real -tragedy if this government abandoned it.”
Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said it “makes no sense to stop now”.
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