Northern Powerhouse seeks more control of HS2 rail scheme

Business and city leaders warn of economic damage of cancellation and call for 2012 Olympics-style authority

A review of HS2 by northern business and city leaders has called for control of construction of the high-speed railway to be devolved to the north and Midlands - and warned that its possible cancellation would leave no viable alternatives for transforming their economies.

The Northern Powerhouse Independent Review (NPIR), established to inform or pre-empt the government's own review of HS2, recommended a new body, HS2 North, be established to integrate HS2 with proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail links.