HS2 could 'suck' business from North, campaigner claims

HS2 would benefit London at the expense of northern towns and cities, an opponent of the project has claimed.

Richard Houghton from HS2 Action Alliance said there was "no academic evidence" the economy would grow outside London.

HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins claimed that speeding up the project would deliver economic benefits to the North of England "sooner".

However, Mr Houghton told BBC Radio 5 live's Stephen Nolan: "In France we've seen the dominant city, Paris, sucking people in and those cities and towns connected to Paris by high speed rail losing their regional headquarters."