We are shortly going to be hearing from the prime minister who will face questions on BBC Breakfast.
A reminder, you can watch Rishi Sunak by clicking Play at the top of this page.
Stay with us as we bring you what the PM says.
Here are the key speakers at today’s Conservative Conference
The speculation over the future of HS2 comes as the Tory Party Conference enters its third day - with several cabinet ministers taking to the main stage later.
As we saw yesterday, the addresses give secretaries of state the opportunity to highlight the work being done in their respective departments, thank their staff and make policy announcements.
Here’s a round-up of who’s speaking today.
From 11:00:
Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
From 15:00:
Alex Chalk, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Suella Braverman, Secretary of State for the Home Department
Uncertainty over what the PM could offer instead of HS2
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
For the past few weeks the conventional wisdom in the political world was that Rishi Sunak would not go to his party conference in Manchester with the future of HS2 in doubt.
After all, the questions now surrounding the project are specifically about the leg running from Birmingham to the city where the entire cabinet is currently located.
The truth is, though, there aren’t that many outstanding questions now.
It’s become clear - courtesy of leaks and briefings rather than any announcement from the government - that the northern leg probably won’t go ahead. At the very least, it will be significantly delayed.
The main uncertainty now is over what, if anything, the prime minister offers instead.
It’s highly likely that he will invest some of the money instead into east-west rail links within the north, linking up the cities of northern England.
It seems we will get the definitive answer in Sunak’s conference speech tomorrow.
In the meantime, expect more leaks, briefings and speculation.
Tuesday's newspaper headlines focus on HS2 concerns
BBCCopyright: BBC
Concerns over the HS2 rail project's future dominate Tuesday's front pages.
The Guardian says Rishi Sunak is being accused of "cancelling the future"; while the Metro leads with "Manc Robbery" as its front page headline.
Elsewhere, the Daily Telegraph reports the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, will announce plans to ban trans women from female hospital wards in England.
A lot of people have had much to say about the uncertainty over the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2:
The Labour Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham said reports it would be shelved were "profoundly depressing" - and the conference would be remembered as the one “when they pulled the plug on us”
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the "fiasco" showed the divisions within the Conservative Party and had now prompted weeks of "chaos" and "indecision" on the project
Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said "Sunak using a conference in Manchester to cancel the northern leg of HS2 would make Liz Truss look like a political genius” - and that the conference was “mired in chaos while the country suffers"
Darren Caplan, chief of the Railway Industry Association, said there was a “sense of total chaos” around yesterday when it comes to HS2 policymaking
Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen - who has previously dubbed HS2 a "white elephant" that ignores the North East, told a conference fringe event that the "indecision" on HS2 was causing a "distraction"
What are the Tories saying about HS2?
On Sunday, the PM said the government was “getting on with delivering [the project]” and that he wasn’t "going to comment on this speculation”.
Yesterday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt did not mention it in his speech to the party conference. He told the BBC that morning he couldn’t give an answer on whether it would go ahead but pointed to spiralling costs, questioning why "it costs 10 times more" to build high speed rail in the UK compared with France.
Later in the day, Downing Street reiterated that “no final decision” had been made, which was echoed by Tory Party chairman Greg Hands.
“We're looking at the value for money cases,” he said, adding: “It’s an important decision, an important thing for the government to decide, look at all the available evidence, all the information, here at Conservative Party Conference, that’s not the right time.”
But Conservative Mayor of Birmingham Andy Street urged Sunak to “stay the course” and “rethink radically” how the project is delivered, including by embracing the private sector.
He said scrapping the northern leg would be "turning your back” on a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to level up.
HS2 confusion lingers over Manchester – Birmingham link
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
In case you missed it yesterday, the row over HS2 intensified when the Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street accused Sunak of "cancelling the future" if it "gives up" on the Manchester leg of the rail link.
Downing Street quelled reports yesterday afternoon suggesting that link had been axed – No 10 insisted no decision had been taken.
HS2 is intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in the Midlands and north of England.
It is aimed at cutting journey times, creating more space on the rail network and more jobs outside London. But it has faced delays, spiralling costs and cuts.
The first leg between London and Birmingham is already under construction, but rising costs have led to growing doubts about the future of the second leg, from Birmingham to Manchester.
Part of the route, between the East Midlands and Leeds, was scrapped by the government in 2021.There are also questions over whether HS2 will ever reach Euston in central London. Demolition work was paused amid rising costs.
Instead, when HS2 first opens, trains will stop at Old Oak Common in West London.
Good morning and thanks for joining us. It is now being widely reported that the Manchester-Birmingham leg of the HS2 rail link will not be going ahead as planned - even though yesterday Downing Street insisted "no final decision" had been made on the future of the flagship levelling-up project.
Conservative ministers have been refusing to give a clear answer for a fortnight, and the issue is now overshadowing the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester as it enters day three.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due on BBC Breakfast at about 07:30 BST - a day before he'll be giving his big speech to the party faithful.
I'm here in the London newsroom with Aoife Walsh and Thomas Mackintosh, while our Politics team are at the conference. We're poised to bring you whatever the PM has to say this morning.
Live Reporting
Edited by Dulcie Lee and Nathan Williams
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Rishi Sunak due to speak
We are shortly going to be hearing from the prime minister who will face questions on BBC Breakfast.
A reminder, you can watch Rishi Sunak by clicking Play at the top of this page.
Stay with us as we bring you what the PM says.
Here are the key speakers at today’s Conservative Conference
The speculation over the future of HS2 comes as the Tory Party Conference enters its third day - with several cabinet ministers taking to the main stage later.
As we saw yesterday, the addresses give secretaries of state the opportunity to highlight the work being done in their respective departments, thank their staff and make policy announcements.
Here’s a round-up of who’s speaking today.
From 11:00:
From 15:00:
Uncertainty over what the PM could offer instead of HS2
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
For the past few weeks the conventional wisdom in the political world was that Rishi Sunak would not go to his party conference in Manchester with the future of HS2 in doubt.
After all, the questions now surrounding the project are specifically about the leg running from Birmingham to the city where the entire cabinet is currently located.
The truth is, though, there aren’t that many outstanding questions now.
It’s become clear - courtesy of leaks and briefings rather than any announcement from the government - that the northern leg probably won’t go ahead. At the very least, it will be significantly delayed.
The main uncertainty now is over what, if anything, the prime minister offers instead.
It’s highly likely that he will invest some of the money instead into east-west rail links within the north, linking up the cities of northern England.
It seems we will get the definitive answer in Sunak’s conference speech tomorrow.
In the meantime, expect more leaks, briefings and speculation.
Tuesday's newspaper headlines focus on HS2 concerns
Concerns over the HS2 rail project's future dominate Tuesday's front pages.
The Guardian says Rishi Sunak is being accused of "cancelling the future"; while the Metro leads with "Manc Robbery" as its front page headline.
Elsewhere, the Daily Telegraph reports the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, will announce plans to ban trans women from female hospital wards in England.
What are others saying?
A lot of people have had much to say about the uncertainty over the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2:
What are the Tories saying about HS2?
On Sunday, the PM said the government was “getting on with delivering [the project]” and that he wasn’t "going to comment on this speculation”.
Yesterday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt did not mention it in his speech to the party conference. He told the BBC that morning he couldn’t give an answer on whether it would go ahead but pointed to spiralling costs, questioning why "it costs 10 times more" to build high speed rail in the UK compared with France.
Later in the day, Downing Street reiterated that “no final decision” had been made, which was echoed by Tory Party chairman Greg Hands.
“We're looking at the value for money cases,” he said, adding: “It’s an important decision, an important thing for the government to decide, look at all the available evidence, all the information, here at Conservative Party Conference, that’s not the right time.”
But Conservative Mayor of Birmingham Andy Street urged Sunak to “stay the course” and “rethink radically” how the project is delivered, including by embracing the private sector.
He said scrapping the northern leg would be "turning your back” on a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to level up.
HS2 confusion lingers over Manchester – Birmingham link
In case you missed it yesterday, the row over HS2 intensified when the Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street accused Sunak of "cancelling the future" if it "gives up" on the Manchester leg of the rail link.
Downing Street quelled reports yesterday afternoon suggesting that link had been axed – No 10 insisted no decision had been taken.
But, Street spoke to reporters in Manchester emphasising the government must not give up on HS2 – but he accepted the prime minister is "right to try and get a grip of the situation".
What is HS2?
HS2 is intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in the Midlands and north of England.
It is aimed at cutting journey times, creating more space on the rail network and more jobs outside London. But it has faced delays, spiralling costs and cuts.
The first leg between London and Birmingham is already under construction, but rising costs have led to growing doubts about the future of the second leg, from Birmingham to Manchester.
Part of the route, between the East Midlands and Leeds, was scrapped by the government in 2021.There are also questions over whether HS2 will ever reach Euston in central London. Demolition work was paused amid rising costs.
Instead, when HS2 first opens, trains will stop at Old Oak Common in West London.
Read our explainer here.
Will he, won't he?
Jemma Crew
Live reporter
Good morning and thanks for joining us. It is now being widely reported that the Manchester-Birmingham leg of the HS2 rail link will not be going ahead as planned - even though yesterday Downing Street insisted "no final decision" had been made on the future of the flagship levelling-up project.
Conservative ministers have been refusing to give a clear answer for a fortnight, and the issue is now overshadowing the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester as it enters day three.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due on BBC Breakfast at about 07:30 BST - a day before he'll be giving his big speech to the party faithful.
I'm here in the London newsroom with Aoife Walsh and Thomas Mackintosh, while our Politics team are at the conference. We're poised to bring you whatever the PM has to say this morning.