A move away from the northern link of HS2 was said by 40% of those surveyed

Rishi Sunak has reviewed plans to cut a high-speed rail scheme amid fears its costs are out of control. Photo: Leon Neil/PA Wire

Poll shows significantly more voters think Rishi Sunak should abandon the northern section of HS2 than those who disagree, as Theresa May becomes the third ex-prime minister to defend problematic railway line.

Poll Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 40 per cent of people would support cutting the Birmingham to Manchester section of HS2, compared with 24 per cent who would oppose the move.

The poll was carried out last week when Mr Sunak and Jeremy Hunt were mulling plans to sharply cut the high-speed rail scheme amid fears its costs were out of control.

Last week The Telegraph reported that officials expected the top estimate for construction of the initial London to Birmingham section of the line to increase by at least a fifth — or more than £8 billion — from the £45 billion figure published in June 2022. The figures have raised concerns within the government that the total cost of the scheme is likely to again exceed £100 billion.

Ms May becomes the third former Conservative prime minister to insist the government continue implement existing plans after the intervention of David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

Theresa May says she is concerned about the prospect of completing the southern half of the line at Old Oak Common, in London's western suburbs, instead of Euston . Photo: Holly Adams/Bloomberg

When asked whether the line should be abandoned, Mrs May said no. She added: “We need to think about why HS2 was developed in the first place. This happened because there was not enough capacity on the West Coast Main Line.

“So if there is not enough capacity on the West Coast Main Line, we need more rail capacity to serve the North West. »

Ms May said she was also concerned about the prospect of the southern half of the line ending at Old Oak Common, in London's western suburbs, instead of Euston, the intended terminus.

p >Almost 60 percent of respondents Redfield & Wilton said they believed costs were out of control.

Philip van Scheltinga, the firm's research director, said: “Rishi Sunak will have to be bolder on this issue if he is to win over voters.< /p>

“Voters will generally understand and support the decision to scrap part of HS2. They know costs are out of control.”

The figures contrast with a separate YouGov poll published by Bradshaw Advisory last week, which found only 23 per cent of people thought the queue should be longer. return to save money, compared with 39 percent of those who disagreed.