A number of high-profile Tory MPs are trying to derail HS2 after a public petition triggered a Parliamentary debate on cancelling the £100bn project – months after construction work started.

A debate has been scheduled for 13 September after more than 155,250 people put their names to a petition that said the scheme was “poor value for money” and that “the pandemic has changed how we work forever and invalidated the business case”.

The petition asks that the government ”stop work on HS2 immediately and hold a new vote to repeal the legislation”.

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