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| HS2: Final decision to be made on Thursday | HS2: Final decision to be made on Thursday |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The government is to make the final decision on whether to proceed with the high speed rail link HS2 on Thursday. | The government is to make the final decision on whether to proceed with the high speed rail link HS2 on Thursday. |
| Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Sajid Javid and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will meet to come to a final position. | Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor Sajid Javid and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will meet to come to a final position. |
| It is not yet clear when the government intends to make its decision public. | |
| It follows a leaked review on the project suggesting it could ultimately cost almost double the £56bn originally expected in 2015. | |
| Phase 1 of the rail line between London and Birmingham is due to open at the end of 2026, with the second phase to Leeds and Manchester scheduled for completion by 2032-33. | Phase 1 of the rail line between London and Birmingham is due to open at the end of 2026, with the second phase to Leeds and Manchester scheduled for completion by 2032-33. |
| It is designed to carry trains capable of travelling at 250mph. | It is designed to carry trains capable of travelling at 250mph. |
| The government commissioned a review into the line last August, designed, ministers said, to determine whether the project could still be deemed value for money. | |
| Billions have already been spent on it, but Mr Shapps has refused to rule out scrapping it entirely. | |
| The transport secretary revealed last week he had asked for more data before making a "massive decision" on HS2, after a leaked government review found it could cost £106bn. | The transport secretary revealed last week he had asked for more data before making a "massive decision" on HS2, after a leaked government review found it could cost £106bn. |
| The unpublished report, which was leaked to the Financial Times, said there was "considerable risk" that estimated costs could rise by another 20% - but it did conclude that despite the ballooning bill, it should still go ahead. | |
| The government had previously promised to make a decision on HS2 before the end of 2019. | The government had previously promised to make a decision on HS2 before the end of 2019. |
| Boris Johnson faced calls to back HS2 from Conservative MPs at Prime Minister's Questions. | |
| Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, in North Yorkshire, called on the government to increase rail capacity "in and between the North, the Midlands, the South and Scotland". | |
| This could only be done by investing in the Midlands Engine, the Northern Powerhouse and carrying on with HS2, he told the PM. | |
| Mr Johnson said the government was looking at investing into the North and Midlands and added that MPs can "expect an announcement very shortly" on HS2. | |
| The PM also sought to reassure Paul Howell, freshly installed as Sedgefield's new Conservative MP, who called for a "positive" decision to improve connectivity in his region. | |
| Keiran Mullan, Tory MP for Crewe and Nantwich, urged the PM to "get HS2 done to secure jobs across the country". | |
| Speaking earlier on BBC Politics Live, the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the signs were that HS2 would get the go-ahead, even though there were very powerful voices critical of it high up in government. | |
| She said it was in part a question of credibility - it would be difficult for a government which says it is committed to greater investment in the Midlands and North to cancel the biggest project on its books designed to do that. |