HS2 to Manchester: What was all the fuss about?

HS2 has been in the news an awful lot lately. Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester last week, Rishi Sunak said he would 'end this long-running saga' by cancelling the rest of the high-speed railway line which means it will no longer reach the city.

Northern leaders had been urging the Prime Minister not to axe the Manchester leg of HS2 for weeks after reports emerged that the government was considering scrapping the hugely overbudget scheme. These calls were backed by three former Prime Ministers.

But Mr Sunak said 'the facts have changed' since the project was first proposed in 2009 and the money would be better spent on other transport initiatives across the North of England and the Midlands. The line from London to Birmingham will still be built, though.

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As the Labour Party conference gets under way in Liverpool, all eyes are on the opposition party which has been urged to revive the second phase of HS2 if it wins the next general election. However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he cannot commit to doing that.

It comes after the government was accused of killing any hope of the HS2 ever coming to the North by lifting protections on land needed to build the new line from other conflicting developments. Land acquired for the scheme is now expected to be sold off.

Mr Sunak has been criticised by his predecessor David Cameron of throwing away a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity' by canning the Northern leg of HS2. Meanwhile, Greater Manchester's politicians have called out the Prime Minister for pulling