Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether a report by HS2 deputy chair Sir Jon Thompson concluded that the costs for the first phase of the project will be “many billions more than the reported estimate”; and if so, what was the basis for their response to media reports on 15 October when they said that HS2 was “within budget".

We will not comment on the detail of leaked reports or on commercially sensitive matters. The Department reports transparently on the programme's status to Parliament every six months with the latest report published in October, including our assessment of cost pressures and deliverability.

The last report made clear that Phase One from London to Birmingham remained on target to deliver within its budget.