Stations of the CROSS

BUSINESS LEADERS SAY SCRAPPING HS2 TO MANCHESTER WOULD COST THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND BILLIONS OF POUNDS IN INVESTMENT

- PAUL BRITTON

BUSINESS leaders have laid bare the impact axing the northern leg of the HS2 rail line to Manchester would have on the city-region's economy.

As reports suggest Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are considering shelving the high-speed rail route north of Birmingham, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce painted a bleak picture in terms of jobs and investment.

It comes as Mr Sunak yesterday repeatedly refused to give a 'yes or no' answer when asked directly if HS2 would be coming to Manchester in interviews to BBC local radio.

The chamber, in an article on its website, said HS2 - the largest infrastructure project in Europe already supporting almost 30,000 jobs, including 1,300 apprenticeships.

Contracts have been awarded to more than 3,000 businesses across the UK, they added, with more than half of those awarded to small and medium enterprises and 96 per cent of the supply chain sitting with UK businesses.

Northern businesses are said by the chamber to have won £1.7 billion worth of work from the construction of HS2, with more expected with the building of the line to Manchester.