LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday he had not yet taken a decision on whether to cancel the northern leg of the HS2 high-speed railway project.

HS2 is already being built between London and Birmingham but media reports have said the second leg of the route from Birmingham to Manchester will be axed after huge cost overruns.

Sunak said he wanted to take his time to make the right decision for the country.

“I know there’s lots of speculation, but all I can say is I’m not going to be forced into a premature decision,” he told BBC television, speaking from Manchester where the Conservative Party is holding its annual conference.