Good morning. Today in Manchester, Rishi Sunak is expected to stand in front of a lectern reading “LONG-TERM DECISIONS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE” and announce the scrapping of the HS2 rail link to that very city – and with it a key plank of his promise to level up the north.
The Conservative party conference – which closes today and is likely the last before a general election in 2024 – has been completely dominated by the prime minister’s repeated refusal to confirm whether or not the £100bn high speed line will continue as planned.
