As the Prime Minister delivered his speech on HS2, 100 metres away anger was brewing

As Rishi Sunak took to the stage at Manchester Central Complex and delivered his controversial speech on HS2, less than 100m down the road, anger was brewing.

Local politicians gathered in the town hall for the latest full council meeting, as they called to oust the Conservative government, who had just announced that the high speed rail line between Birmingham and Manchester would be axed - ending days of speculation.

But this latest decision from the Prime Minister was just the tip of the iceberg for council leader Bev Craig, who called for a general election now, not in a year's time.

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Labour members echoed her calls as they held up signs calling for a general election, with Coun Pat Karney declaring “levelling up is dead”.

With many councillors switching to look to their phones to see if Mr Sunak had made his much anticipated announcement on Wednesday morning, Coun Bev Craig said: “It is very timely that we stand here only 100m away from where the Conservatives are gathering to hear their prime minister’s vision for the future.

“The charge sheet is a long one and is well rehearsed in this chamber. But i think as we stand here we think about the impact on our city and our residents.

“It’s a simple message, we have been disrespected long enough and had our resources cut for long enough and we have not been offered a future of hope and optimism.”

Her motion received cross-party backing, including opposition councillors from the Lib Dems and the Greens. Green Party leader Coun Astrid Johnson also condemned the roll back on the net zero target by