Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce approximately £30bn of spending on road, rail and buses in his conference speech today in Manchester at the Conservative Party Conference.

The big spending commitment will come to ‘sweeten the pill’ that the second leg of HS2, linking Birmingham and Manchester, won’t be fulfilled, according to Sky News.

The second leg of high-speed rail – from Birmingham to Manchester – looks set to be abolished.

The prime minister and his team will be hoping the extra spending on road and rail will placate MPs, businesses and lobby groups’ concerns about the impact of downgrading HS2, according to a Sky News report.

In London, the high-speed track will be extended from Old Oak Common in west London to Euston.

They added: “Cancelling Northern Powerhouse Rail will require a vote in the Commons to override the hybrid bills automatic continuation in King’s speech.

“The question is does the prime minister have the numbers against the opposition parties united against him as well.”

Number 10 have said they don’t comment on speculation.