On the fourth day of the Conservative Party's conference at Manchester, prime minister Rishi Sunak drops the bomb shell by announcing the cancellation of the Birmingham-Manchester leg of HS2. The rumors were there for several weeks already but there were also some strong opposition to any cancellation.

Sunak said the cancellation was due to doubling costs and long delays.

The now-cancelled Birmingham-Manchester leg of HS2 was to cost £36bn by latest estimates. Sunak said, the amount would be spent for other transport projects with `quicker results`.

This is not the first time HS2 faces cancellation. The eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds was also cancelled in 2021.