HS2: Rishi Sunak refuses to commit to Manchester link

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has again refused to say if the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 will be axed.

Asked by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg if the high speed line would run to Manchester, he said: "We're getting on with delivering [the project], I'm not going to comment on this speculation."

Rising costs have led to growing doubts about whether the Birmingham to Manchester leg will go ahead.

Labour and some Tory MPs have said scaling back HS2 would be a mistake.

On Saturday, former PM Theresa May became the latest Conservative voice to warn against downgrading the project.

And on Friday a coalition of unions argued that cancelling the second leg from Birmingham to Manchester would undermine confidence in the UK's ability to complete big infrastructure projects.

Last week, the Times reported Mr Sunak has been "alarmed" by the escalating cost of HS2, with suggestions that it could eventually exceed £100bn.