LEVEL WORST

Voters send message to Sunak over HS2 betrayal

- JOHN STEVENS

FAILURE to complete HS2 will be a betrayal of the Tories' promises to level up the country, voters have warned as Rishi Sunak prepares to mutilate the project.

The Prime Minister is set to use his first party conference as leader to ditch the leg of the high speed line between Manchester and Birmingham.

The gathering turned into civil war as soon as it started yesterday as ministers and MPs squabbled over how to avoid electoral oblivion.

Polling shows Mr Sunak faces a massive backlash if he backtracks on plans for HS2 to go to North West England.

A survey found that 72% of the public already think London and the South East get much more money spent on them than the rest of the UK. The feeling is even stronger in the North with the figure at 83%.