North East politicians believe that the funds which could be saved by scrapping the Manchester section of HS2 could benefit the region.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Darlington MP Peter Gibson would welcome redistributing the funds to support a range of infrastructure projects.

Rishi Sunak is believed to be weighing up scrapping the Birmingham to Manchester section of the flagship project.

At a board meeting in Leeds, Transport for the North has confirmed its position that both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail projects are “critical” for the economy in the region.

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Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: "I’ve made my position on HS2 clear time and time again – it will bring no benefits for Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.

"A train line that gets people from London to Manchester slightly faster doesn't register on our list of priorities and if I was given even a fraction of the HS2 budget we could revolutionise transport across the Tees Valley.

"I have never backed HS2 and am certainly not parroting Government lines.

"HS2 is a colossal waste of money. With an original price tag of £32bn it is now estimated to cost £180bn and none of that will be spent in the North East or to benefit the North East.

"Regardless of the future of HS2, our £200million-plus investments in our local railway stations – Darlington, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe and more – will boost regional and national links for our local people, increasing capacity and futureproofing our network.

"I would encourage the Government to use the funding on transport links that will actually make a difference to hard-working people in places like Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool."

Peter Gibson echoed that sentiment, highlighting the range of infrastructure projects in the North East which could benefit from a boost in funding.

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He said: "As speculation continues in respect of HS2 it is important for Government with a steady hand on the nations finances to keep projects under review.

"I was naturally disappointed with the cancellation of the eastern leg some time ago but freeing up money that can support our buses trains roads in our region now would have a much better impact on the lives of people.

"In Darlington, and perhaps improve the prospects for my campaign to secure a link road from Great Burdon to the A1."