An artist’s impression of how Supertram might have looked.

According to an article published in today’s Mail on Sunday, ministers are expected to scrap the eastern leg of HS2, with the high-speed track no longer being laid from Birmingham to Leeds. As a consolation, Leeds is to get its own tram network.

The plans which are expected to appear in the government’s soon to be published integrated rail plan, have drawn criticism that the Prime Minister is abandoning a key part of his ‘levelling up’ agenda.

As well as the eastern leg change, there has been speculation that the Government may downgrade plans for a high-speed east-west line across the Pennines amid concerns over mounting costs.