CUTTING back on HS2 will leave much of the north of England in the Victorian era for transport, Labour mayors warned today.

As speculation mounts that PM Rishi Sunak is preparing to axe or freeze the Birmingham to Manchester stretch of the high speed railway, as well as moving the London terminus from Euston to Old Oak Common, miles from the centre, five mayors met in Leeds to condemn the move.

Labour Mayors Sadiq Khan (London), Andy Burnham (Manchester), Tracy Brabin (West Yorkshire), Oliver Coppard (South Yorkshire) and Steve Rotherham (Liverpool) also called for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), planned to connect the main centres in the north, to be built in full.

Holding a mock train ticket reading “Save HS2, Save NPR, Save Euston,” they said that failure to build the entire network would “leave swathes of the north with Victorian transport infrastructure that is unfit for purpose.

“Investment in transport infrastructure is a huge driver of economic growth — creating jobs, increasing productivity and opening up new business opportunities,” their statement said.

The mayors highlighted the folly of the pared-back proposal, stating that Britian “does not need a new line that only goes from Birmingham to Old Oak Common, which is six miles from central London.

“This does nothing for the north of England. The full Y-shaped HS2 plan was designed to deliver economic benefit right across the country, not only between the north and London but between Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. All of these gains look set to be lost,” they warned.

TSSA interim general secretary Peter Pendle said: “As the only rail union for staff directly employed by HS2, we’ve been deeply troubled to see the project — and all the vital jobs it will bring — hanging in the balance.  

“We welcome mayors from up and down the country coming together to show that abandoning this project would be ludicrous and means leaving Britain behind in the dust with a creaking transport system.  

“We need the government to stop dithering and fully commit to HS2, for the sake of the British economy at the local, regional and national levels.” 

It is unclear when Mr Sunak will announce the widely trailed changes to the HS2 schedule, which are driven by Treasury concerns over the massively escalating cost.

Home Office Minister Chris Philp said: “No decisions have been taken about the remaining stages of HS2, but I do know the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are looking at how the cost can be controlled.”