Rishi Sunak is poised to confirm the cancellation of HS2's northern leg to Manchester at the Conservative conference in the city, despite a strong backlash and concerns within the Tory party about the potential harm to their "levelling up" agenda. 

Reports indicating that the Prime Minister might terminate the multibillion-pound project and redirect some of the funding toward transportation initiatives in the northern regions were not denied by Downing Street. 

Furthermore, it is anticipated that he will announce the extension of the high-speed rail line only to the outskirts of London, with the final stop at Old Oak Common, rather than the previously planned Euston station, located six miles away. 

HS2 infrastructure map showing the intially planned connected routes (credit: HS2).

Sunak is scheduled to convene an emergency cabinet meeting in Manchester on Tuesday to formally approve these proposals. 

Last week, reports disclosed Sunak's intentions to unveil a series of transport enhancements, including the Northern Powerhouse Rail and investments in repairing the UK's road network by addressing potholes.

Despite objections from senior figures within the rail industry who consider scrapping the multibillion-pound HS2 project to be unwise, and concerns raised by business groups regarding the government's dedication to significant infrastructure initiatives, Sunak appears determined to proceed with these changes.