Rishi Sunak is expected to cancel the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the high-speed rail project.
Rishi Sunak has refused to confirm he will scrap the northern leg of the HS2 line despite widespread expectation that he will axe the project due to “enormous” costs.
In a clear hint that he is considering changing course on HS2, during a series of broadcast interviews he repeatedly referenced his decision to water down the timings for a series of net zero measures, suggesting that showed he was prepared to make tough long-term choices.“It’s clear that the costs of this programme have escalated far beyond what anyone thought at the beginning,” Mr Sunak told Times Radio.
The Times reported that after intense lobbying from within his Cabinet he will say the line will terminate in Euston, in central London, rather than the western suburb of Old Oak Common. An expanded Northern Powerhouse Rail project linking cities, and cash for potholes and bus routes, could be announced to sweeten the pill of curtailing the project feared to have spiralled past £100 billion.
A decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 would also be overruling the concerns of Tory former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron.
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