HS2 reveals £2bn in costs linked to Sunak’s downgrade of line

Annual report also shows former chief executive was paid £652,569 for his final year, including a £34,345 bonus

HS2 has revealed more than £2bn in costs linked to Rishi Sunak’s decision to downgrade the high-speed rail line.

The UK’s largest infrastructure project revealed that it had written off £1.1bn in costs incurred during “phase two”, which was due to link Birmingham to Manchester until the government scrapped it last year.