PM makes expected announcement axing Manchester leg of rail link as he attempts to portray it as positive
- UK politics live – latest updates
- International investors are laughing at the HS2 shambles
- Tory mayor Andy Street decides to stay in post
Rishi Sunak has formally announced he has cancelled the planned HS2 rail link from Birmingham to Manchester, also unveiling a new post-16 educational qualification in his speech to the Conservative party conference.
In a speech otherwise largely devoid of new policy, Sunak nonetheless tried to present himself – the fifth Tory prime minister in 13 unbroken years of the party’s rule – as the only option for change.
