According to multiple sources, including Reuters, Al Jazeera, and The Guardian, the northern section of HS2 connecting Birmingham and Manchester has been cancelled. This means that the planned railway will only link London with Birmingham in central England. The decision was made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who cited ballooning costs and mismanagement as the reasons for the cancellation. The rest of the HS2 high-speed rail line outside of the London to Birmingham route already under construction will also be cancelled. The decision has been met with backlash from industry groups and businesses in northern England, who had hoped to benefit from the project. Sunak has announced that the government will redirect HS2 funding to focus instead on "greater frequency and quality of transport infrastructure across the whole country". The decision to cancel the northern section of HS2 could save up to £36bn from a total budget that has ballooned to around £100bn.