Business leaders are calling on the next prime minister to commit to completing HS2, adding that if they do not they risk blocking future investment in the north.



In an open letter, more than 20 figures from industry and commerce have called for the next Tory leader to back the project in full.



It comes amid speculation that the next prime minister – with Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson now the final two MPs vying for the position – could decide to axe the second phase of the project due to concerns over spiralling costs.



Johnson is reported to have asked a former boss of the £56bn scheme to carry out a review if he is made prime minister, while Hunt has said HS2 is “absolutely vital” and he would not scrap the project in its entirety.

Signatures of the letter include the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and London First, the BBC reports.

“We assert that committing to HS2 in full, once and for all, will spread the flow of investment across the Midlands, the north of England and into Scotland,” the letter reads.



“The current poor connectivity in the north is a major obstacle to encouraging companies from growing in the region and is a barrier to inward investment.”



Work is under way on phase one, which will connect London and the West Midlands, although the full scheme would extend to Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.



The letter comes after dozens of newspapers and websites across the north joined forces to call for Britain’s main political parties to commit to invest more in transport in the north.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post on Saturday, the cabinet secretary David Lidington, Theresa May’s de facto deputy, said her successor must “reassert a continuing priority for the Northern powerhouse”.



He said: “I think this is important economically but I think it is also important in terms of the cohesion of the country as a whole.



“If cities in the north of England feel that they are being left out and left behind then the country is going to feel more divided.”

Labour has accused the government of repeatedly breaking its promises on transport investment in the region. The shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, has called for the Northern powerhouse to be “more than a slogan”.

