Don't give up on HS2, Tory mayor Andy Street urges Rishi Sunak

West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street has urged Rishi Sunak not to give up on the Manchester leg of the high speed rail line HS2.

It comes amid speculation that the prime minister is about to announce the axing of the project.

Mr Street warned the PM that cancelling it will damage the UK's international reputation as a place to invest.

Downing Street has insisted "no final decisions have been taken", amid confusion about the rail line's fate.

Reports a decision had been taken have been circulating at the Conservative conference in Manchester.

Mr Street held an impromptu press conference to urge Mr Sunak to "stay the course" - and to propose a new funding model with more private sector involvement.

He urged the PM not to "turn [your] back on a once-in-a-generation opportunity" to "level up" the country.

The prime minster and his chancellor Jeremy Hunt have spent the past few days declining to answer questions about the future of HS2.

Mr Hunt did not mention the project in his keynote speech to conference earlier, focusing instead on announcing a freeze in civil service expansion, a rise in the living wage and tougher sanctions for benefits claimants.

Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: "This fiasco shows the Conservatives are too divided and too distracted to take this country forward.

"After weeks of chaos and indecision on the biggest infrastructure project in the country, Rishi Sunak's relaunch is now coming off the rails."

The Labour Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, who was speaking at a fringe meeting at the Tory conference, described reports of the project being axed as "profoundly depressing".

"This will be remembered as the conference when they pulled the plug on us.

"What gives them the right to treat people here in Greater Manchester and the north of England as second-class citizens?"