Boris: Cutting HS2 leg to Manchester would be 'betrayal'

Former prime minister says 'we must be out of our minds'

- PATRICK DALY

BORIS Johnson has said delaying or cutting the HS2 route to Manchester would be a 'betrayal' of the North of England.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, the former Prime Minister said "we must be out of our minds" if Conservative ministers are considering cutting off "the northern legs" of the high-speed rail project. The latest intervention by the politician who secured a landslide win for the Tories at the 2019 election - a victory secured on the back of a pledge to create more opportunities outside London and the South East - comes as the party prepares to meet in Manchester for its annual autumn conference on Sunday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to be drawn on the future of phase two of HS2 during dozens of interviews with regional broadcasters on Thursday, telling BBC Radio Manchester that his government was focused on fixing potholes in roads, connecting towns and cities and investing in bus services.

And in an interview with The Sun, published on Friday, the Tory leader obfuscated when asked about whether 225mph trains would ever link Birmingham and Manchester. There has been widespread speculation in recent days that Mr Sunak is preparing to either scrap or delay HS2's Birmingham to Manchester leg after being warned the price tag may be £100 billion.