With the highest tax burden since the Second World War, national debt at the highest level for 60 years with annual interest bills of £100bn and public sector workers striking for big pay increases, there are calls for HS2 to be cut to save money, particularly as the first phase is unlikely to hit the £40.3bn budget.

In January reports suggested government officials were considering scrapping Euston with trains terminating at Old Oak Common instead. Less than two weeks later there were further reports saying officials were considering cutting the number of trains per hour by almost half and running these more slowly.

But terminating HS2 at Old Oak Common negates the whole point of the railway as the need to take the Elizabeth Line into central London loses all the time-saving benefits that HS2 was supposed to bring.