Plans to extend the HS2 north of Birmingham look set to be scrapped.

Speculation has grown over the past few weeks that the Government will not continue with the latter phases of the line which would have seen it extend to Manchester via Crewe.

But with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refusing to commit to the route north of the West Midlands, multi publications including Sky, ITV and The Guardian are now reporting it will be axed and the line will stop at the new Curzon Street station in Birmingham.

ITV News says the PM has instead decided to allocate the money ringfenced for the project to other transport projects in the north.

Reports allege the HS2 money will be used to repair Britain's road network and boost connectivity between northern town and cities with Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Sky News said it understood the Department of Transport had worked up a package of alternative projects - rail, bus and road - which would be funded from the money saved.

Phase 2a of HS2 was planned planned to connect the West Midlands to Crewe, with phase 2B connecting Crewe to Manchester.

HS2 has suffered from delays and spiralling costs, as well as widespread criticism on the effects the project would have on existing services. 

The news comes as local MP Sir Jeremy Wright has criticised the potential scrapping of the northern leg, saying the HS2 line only brings benefit if it extends beyond Birmingham.

"I want the Government to finish the job," he said on Saturday morning's (September 30) BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"My constituents are undergoing the pain now of the delivery of Phase 1 of HS2 and they have been told all the way through this project…that the significant local pain they will be suffering is justified by the significant national game that building a network of high speed rail lines will deliver.

"And I don't think that gain, that advantage strategically to the nation, comes from a single line that runs from London to Birmingham.

"So I think it is important, not just for my constituents but from the strategic point of view, that we complete the network at least as far as Manchester, and I hope one day beyond that.

"We need to finish it in a way that delivers its intended benefits."