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Rishi Sunak dodged questions over the future of HS2 as he spoke to local radio stations across the country.

The prime minister was repeatedly asked about the northern leg of the high speed rail line between Birmingham and Manchester.

He was also quizzed on whether the route would now end in the west London suburb of Old Oak Common rather than Euston, as reports continue to surface that he plans to scrap the next phase of the project due to soaring costs.

Read more: PM pushed in series of live interviews – follow politics live

In a tough exchange on BBC Radio Manchester, Mr Sunak refused to give a yes or no answer to the presenter, saying: “I’m not speculating on future things.”

But he hinted at more support for the so-called Northern Powerhouse Rail, running east to west, adding: “Having greater frequency, greater capacity and shorter journey times… will make the biggest difference to unlocking the massive potential across the North”.

He also appeared to defend the viability of Old Oak Common on BBC Three Counties Radio, saying it had “very strong” connections into the capital.

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Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak again refused to confirm the future of HS2’s northern leg.

HS2 was first touted by Labour in 2009, before it was signed off by the Tory Lib Dem coalition government. It was designed to connect the South, the Midlands and the North of England with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

If the Manchester leg were to be axed, it would be the latest watering down of the project, with the eastern leg to Leeds scrapped entirely and work between Birmingham and Crewe delayed due to the impact of inflation.

Some estimates have put the total cost at more than £100bn, while the project has been rated “unachievable” by the infrastructure watchdog.

The line has numerous defenders, from Tory grandees like Lord Heseltine and former chancellor George Osborne, through to Labour’s regional mayors, who have criticised the government for not involving them in the decision over its future.

An announcement on the scrapping of phase two and the London terminus had been expected this week – but it has yet to surface just days before the Conservative Party heads to Manchester for its annual conference.

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Speaking to Sky News, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said people in the North were being ‘treated like second class citizens’.

Almost a year to the day former prime minister Liz Truss faced a battering on BBC local stations, Mr Sunak carried out the same pre-conference media round, beginning with BBC York, which asked him if he had “betrayed” the North over HS2.

“No,” he replied. “I think what people will see… [is] we’re investing record amounts in improving infrastructure but also delivering levelling up. I mean making sure that our town centres and high streets get the investment that they need.

“That’s really important and making sure that, as I say, transport infrastructure is being improved.”

Asked if the northern leg would go ahead by BBC West Midlands, the prime minister said: “There are spades in the ground right now at the moment making sure that we complete the first part of this line from Birmingham to central London, and we are absolutely getting on with that, that is important.”

But he deflected to talk about other forms of travel, saying: “We are investing in the transport that they use every day, making sure that the roads that people are using, probably right now as they are driving to work or taking their kids to school, are free of potholes, that the bus services that we have are reliable and frequent.”

Read more:
What is HS2 and why are parts being delayed?
Ex-minister calls for inquiry into HS2 as he warns of ‘disastrous’ consequences
Johnson and Cameron criticise move to ditch HS2 to Manchester

Mr Sunak’s third outing came on BBC Manchester and presenter Anna Jameson accused him of “trying to get off” the HS2 topic, asking: “Let’s end this right here right now, tell the people of Greater Manchester, are you scrapping the HS2 line between Birmingham and Manchester?”

The PM replied: “I know there is a lot of speculation on this but we have already got spades in the ground on the first bit of HS2 and what we are doing is getting on with delivering it.”

Pushed on the northern leg, he said: “It is always right that the government is looking at things to make sure we are doing things in a way that creates value for money.

“But what I would say is HS2 is one of the many things we are doing to level up across our country and is one of the many things we are doing to invest in the north and in transport infrastructure in the north.”

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Accusing him of “going off topic”, the presenter asked him to “keep focus”, adding: “We are straight talking people in the north it is a yes or a no, are you scrapping the HS2 line between Birmingham and Manchester?”

But again Mr Sunak insisted he would not be “speculating on future things”. However, he again put the focus on the need for greater connectivity east to west, hinting it could be on offer if the north to south plan is ditched.

“Connectivity across northern towns and cities is important,” added the prime minister. “I’ve said it for years.

“I know that that connectivity across the Pennines is not good enough. And it’s not just Liverpool to Manchester, it’s all the way across the North. And that is probably the thing that will drive the most growth, create the most jobs if we can get that right. And that’s why we are investing in doing that. But we obviously need to do more.”

English regions unite in calling for answers on HS2



Mhari Aurora

Political correspondent

@MhariAurora

The countdown to Conservative party conference has begun, and while Rishi Sunak would most likely want to be focused on the allocated themes of each day – the economy, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats – HS2 looks set to derail that agenda.

On a whistle-stop tour of eight regional radio stations this morning, the prime minister was asked about the controversial trainline by more than half of them.

Unsurprisingly the West Midlands and Manchester stations grilled Sunak on the northern leg of the line.

Mr Sunak insisted there were spades in the ground building the line from Birmingham to central London, but as Old Oak Common is situated in the London travel zone two, most would not class that as the heart of the city.

The prime minister was accused of going against the North and betraying its people, to which he responded, “I know acutely where the challenges are”, and that he was focused on investing in transport links that people use on a daily basis.

But his justification for focusing on investing in local rail lines and roads making it easier for people to get around would bring jobs, drive growth and make life better for everyone could be interpreted as somewhat ironic, as some would argue HS2 would do exactly that.

The presenter on the Manchester station questioned whether Mr Sunak would be able to hang on to so-called ‘Red Wall’ seats if he continued the Tory record of broken promises to the North of England.

And after being played a clip of a leaked recording in which Mr Sunak takes credit for diverting funds from poor urban areas to rural places, the station accused him of not caring about areas like theirs.

But immediately after that on the Shropshire radio station, the very first question asked was whether he was ignoring rural communities.

And on the Three Counties radio station, the presenter played a recording of one man crying because he felt the HS2 development had destroyed his town of Wendover.

Indicative of the conflicting directions in which Mr Sunak is being pulled, the prime minister is under incredible pressure to not only make a decision on the future of the highspeed rail link, but to make the right one.

But that decision looks starkly different depending on who you ask.

On BBC Three Counties Radio, Mr Sunak was pushed over the final destination for HS2 in the capital, with presenter Babs Michel asking: “Where is Old Oak Common? Because it appears [it] is closer to Brentford than Trafalgar Square, so what is the point… it doesn’t help us at all.”

But the prime minister appeared to defend it as a sensible place to terminate the link, saying: “Old Oak Common is on the new Elizabeth Line and actually the connections from Old Oak Common to most London destinations, whether that is Heathrow, the City, the West End, Canary Wharf, are actually very strong.

“Obviously it is a new station that people won’t be familiar with, but its connectivity into all those areas is very strong.”

During the interviews, Mr Sunak was also challenged on crumbling concrete, waiting times for ambulances – and whether he wanted to buy Reading Football Club.

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Speaking to Sky News ahead of Mr Sunak’s interviews, transport minister Richard Holden said it was right the government carefully considers spending around the high-speed rail project.

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Trump to nominate SEC’s ‘pro-crypto’ Michael Selig as CFTC chair: Report

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<div>Trump to nominate SEC's 'pro-crypto' Michael Selig as CFTC chair: Report</div>

<div>Trump to nominate SEC's 'pro-crypto' Michael Selig as CFTC chair: Report</div>

The rumored nomination of Michael Selig follows the CFTC nomination process hitting a snag in September when Brian Quintenz was withdrawn.

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China ‘enemy’ reference removed from key witness statement for collapsed spy trial

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China 'enemy' reference removed from key witness statement for collapsed spy trial

A reference to China being an “enemy” of the UK was removed from key evidence for a collapsed spy trial in 2023 as it “did not reflect government policy” under the Conservatives at the time, according to the national security adviser.

In the letter published by parliament’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy earlier on Friday, National Security Adviser (NSA) Jonathan Powell said Counter Terror Police and the Crown Prosecution Service were aware of the change made by Deputy National Security Adviser (DSNA) Matt Collins.

This would mean the CPS knew the “enemy” reference had been removed before charging the two suspects, according to Mr Powell.

In another letter published on Friday, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) Stephen Parkinson told the committee that it took DSNA Mr Collins more than a year to confirm to prosecutors he would not say China posed a threat to UK national security in court.

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The DPP said a High Court judge ruled in June last year that an “enemy” under law is a state which “presently poses an active threat to the UK’s national security”, prompting the CPS to ask the DNSA whether China fulfilled that criteria.

He added prosecutors did not believe there would be “any difficulty in obtaining evidence” from Mr Collins that China was a national security threat, but added: “This was a sticking point that could not be overcome.”

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Mr Parkinson added that the DNSA’s “unwillingness” to describe China as an active or current threat was “fatal to the case” because Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry’s defence teams would have been entitled to call him as a witness.

The DPP added: “This factor is compounded by the fact that drafts of the first witness statement, reviewed by us in July 2025, showed that references to China being an ‘enemy’ or ‘possible enemy’ had been deleted.

“Those drafts would probably have been disclosable to the defence.”

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What do we know about the China spy case?

A final draft of Mr Collins’ statement was sent to then-prime minister Rishi Sunak in December 2023, Mr Powell’s letter said.

“Drafts of a statement provided to DNSA included the term ‘enemy’ but he removed this term from the final draft as it did not reflect government policy,” the letter reads.

Read more:
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The three key questions about the China spy case that need to be answered

It comes amid a political row over the collapse of the prosecution of Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash last month, who were accused of conducting espionage for China.

Both individuals vehemently deny the claims.

Because the CPS was pursuing charges under the Official Secrets Act 1911, prosecutors would have had to show the defendants were acting for an “enemy”.

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China spy row: Witness statements explained

DPP Mr Parkinson has come under pressure to provide a fuller explanation for the abandonment of the case.

He has blamed insufficient evidence being provided by the government that Beijing represented a threat to the UK at the time of the alleged offences.

The Conservatives have accused Sir Keir Starmer of letting the case collapse, but Labour has said there was nothing more it could have done.

The current government has insisted ministers did not intervene in the case or attempt to make representations to ensure the strength of evidence, for fear of interfering with the course of justice.

Sir Keir Starmer met Chinese premier Xi Jingping in November 2024. Pic: PA
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Sir Keir Starmer met Chinese premier Xi Jingping in November 2024. Pic: PA

The DNSA and DPP will face questions from the parliamentary committee on Monday afternoon.

The current attorney general, Lord Hermer, and the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Darren Jones, will be questioned on Wednesday.

The PM’s spokesman reiterated the government’s position that “what is relevant in a criminal case of this nature is the government’s position at the time of the alleged offences”.

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Who is Lindsay Whittle? The man who stood unsuccessfully in Caerphilly 13 times, then won on the 14th try

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Who is Lindsay Whittle? The man who stood unsuccessfully in Caerphilly 13 times, then won on the 14th try

Lindsay Whittle stood for election in Caerphilly 13 times since 1983 – and on the 14th attempt, he finally succeeded.

In the process, the 72-year-old local boy – nicknamed “Mr Caerphilly” – humiliated the Labour Party, which had held the Senedd seat since its creation in 1999 and the Westminster constituency for over a century.

Born in the miner’s hospital, Mr Whittle lived in a council house and grew up in the town, located to the north of Cardiff, that he now represents.

A lifelong Plaid Cymru activist, his interest in politics was first piqued in the 1960s. He said he even missed an O Level (GCSE) exam in the 1970s because he was out canvassing for the party.

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Watch Lindsay Whittle’s victory speech.

Mr Whittle was first elected in 1976 to represent the Penyrheol and Trecenydd ward on Rhymney Valley district council, and he was re-elected repeatedly until the council was abolished in 1996.

He then contested the Penyrheol ward on the new Caerphilly County Borough Council, created in 1995, and was elected to represent it seven times. He served as the council’s leader for two periods between 1999 and 2004, and has also served as Plaid Cymru’s group leader on the council since 2022.

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Plaid Cymru is ‘ready to lead Wales’, party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told Sky News.

But, despite his success at the local level, Mr Whittle was only able to secure election to the then Welsh Assembly once in six attempts since its creation in 1999, becoming an MS on the South Wales East list 2011, before losing his seat in 2016.

In those five years in Cardiff, he was appointed Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Social Services, Children, and Equal Opportunities, and he was able to work on his key political interests of housing and local government, as well as combating homelessness.

Lindsay Whittle in front of the Caerphilly Castle after his victory. Pic: PA
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Lindsay Whittle in front of the Caerphilly Castle after his victory. Pic: PA

Read more from Sky News:
Reform beaten by Plaid Cymru in Caerphilly by-election
Analysis: Farage nowhere to be seen as Reform loses by-election

Election by the people of his hometown of Caerphilly has always eluded him, however, having lost the 13 other elections for Westminster and the Senedd that he has stood in throughout a lifetime in Welsh politics.

But that all changed last night when he was elected with a majority of nearly 4,000 votes to take over from the late Hefin David, the beloved Labour representative to whom he paid tribute in his victory speech.

Lindsay Whittle speaking to Sky's Jon Craig at the election night count in Caerphilly. Pic: PA
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Lindsay Whittle speaking to Sky’s Jon Craig at the election night count in Caerphilly. Pic: PA

Speaking to our chief political correspondent Jon Craig as dawn broke over the town he was born in and now represents, Mr Whittle said: “I would need to be a poet to put into words how I genuinely feel about the honour that all the people of Caerphilly have bestowed upon me.

“Almost half of the people who went out to vote, just 2% short of half of the people, put their confidence in Lindsay Whittle and Plaid Cymru. I cannot tell you what an honour that is.”

He added: “Retirement is not for me. I’m not the sort of guy who relaxes on beaches. In fact, I don’t think I ever relax. It’s people. It’s people that make me carry on.”

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