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Rishi Sunak will scrap the northern leg of HS2 to Manchester, according to reports.
The Prime Minister is expected to announce plans to ditch Phase 2 of the high-speed line from Birmingham to Manchester to focus on improving local transport infrastructure in the North, Sky News has reported.
But i understands this is unlikely to result in Northern Powerhouse Rail linking Liverpool to Hull being built, as this is reliant on HS2 phase 2b linking Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly being delivered.
The Government told i that “no decision have yet been taken” when asked if the train line had been dumped.
Mr Sunak failed to commit to the northern leg of HS2 when he appeared on several local radio shows last week, amid claims that costs are spiralling “out of control”.
At least £400m has already been spent by HS2 acquiring properties for Phase 2 of the project between Birmingham and Manchester.
The move to cancel the northern leg has been criticised by a number of high-profile Conservative MPs including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May.
More to follow.
