Jeremy Hunt says HS2 will run into central London after reports it may be scrapped

The PM and the chancellor had to make assurances this morning after newspaper reports said that cost-cutting measures would put the HS2 terminus in the west London suburbs

Jeremy Hunt has confirmed HS2 will reach its central London terminus at Euston following reports it may be delayed or scrapped.

The chancellor said he did not see “any conceivable circumstances” in which HS2 would not run to its planned Euston terminus.

It follows reports a cost-cutting measure on the infrastructure project could see the north-south railway route terminate in a west London suburb.

Mr Hunt, asked after his Bloomberg speech whether ministers were committed to HS2 going “all the way to Euston”, said: “Yes we are.

“And I don’t see any conceivable circumstances in which that would not end up at Euston.

“And indeed I prioritised HS2 in the autumn statement.

“We have not got a good record in this country of delivering complex, expensive infrastructure quickly, but I’m incredibly proud that, for the first time in this last decade, under a Conservative government, we have shovels in the ground building HS2 and we’re going to make it happen.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he did not see “any conceivable circumstances” in which HS2 would not run to its planned Euston terminus

Reports in The Sun said soaring inflation meant the high speed rail project may not run to Euston until 2038 – or be scrapped completely, with trains instead stopping at a new hub at Old Oak Common in west London’s suburbs. Instead commuters would have to finish their journeys into central London by using the Elizabeth Line. The paper also reported that a two-to-five-year delay to the entire project is being considered.

HS2, or High Speed 2, was initially meant to connect the capital with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, but the leg to Leeds was scrapped.

Asked to confirm the report earlier, a Department for Transport spokesman said: “The government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester, as confirmed in the autumn statement. “As well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs, the project will connect regions across the UK, improve capacity on our railways and provide a greener option of travel.” The project has been dogged by criticism over its financial and environmental impact.

Environmental protests occupied several locations on or near the route of the high-speed line last year, with campaigners arguing the project would contribute to carbon emissions and damage areas of natural beauty.

In October of last year, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove suggested capital investment for HS2 would be reviewed, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt subsequently backed the project.

The target cost of Phase One between London and Birmingham was £40.3 billion at 2019 prices. A budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015.

HS2’s plans for 2023 include reaching the half-way point in digging the 10-mile long Chiltern Tunnel and completing the second bore of the Long Itchington Wood Tunnel.

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