The cost of HS2 is "out of control" and could spiral to £107bn, according to the former deputy chairman of government's independent review into the project.

Lord Tony Berkeley says that parliament would never have agreed to the high-speed rail line, due to connect London with the North and the Midlands, had they not been "misled" - and estimates the costs could now be three times the original estimate.

In a rogue report he has produced separately from the rest of the government's independent review panel, he writes: "From the evidence I have seen, I believe that parliament was misled on the question of HS2 costs and that it is highly unlikely that, if it had been given the real cost figures by the Department of Transport, it would have passed the legislation to allow this project to proceed."

Image: Lord Berkeley has now released his own report

In August 2019, the government launched an independent review into HS2 to assess its affordability and benefits.

Some questioned the panel's independence considering it was led by former HS2 Ltd chair Doug Oakervee.


A leak of the report in November 2019 appeared to suggest the high-speed rail line was still worthwhile, but Lord Berkeley asked that his name be removed from the conclusions.

He has now released his own assessment, seen by Sky News, in which he says HS2 is no longer offering value for money to the taxpayer.

Image: A former member of the government's review board says the costs of HS2 could be triple the original estimate

He said: "It is my belief that there is overwhelming evidence that the costs of the HS2 project are out of control, the benefits are overstated and that it potentially will not be delivered to Leeds and Manchester for another 20 years."

The project was first estimated at £34bn in 2012.

But in 2015, when it passed parliament, the figure increased to £56bn.

Image: HS2 will go from London to Birmingham

A few months ago, the current chairman of the project, Allan Cook, did a "stock take" and said it would in fact cost £88bn.

However, Lord Berkeley estimates it will cost nearly £20bn more, at £107bn.

He believes the taxpayer could only get 60p back for every pound spent on HS2, adding: "There is substantial evidence of poor project management and governance and no sign that this problem will be resolved by the public bodies responsible for its delivery to give stakeholders and government comfort that it is wise to spend over £100bn on one railway project."

The official figure remains £88bn, but during the general election last year, Boris Johnson said he expected the costs to rise above £100bn.

When asked whether he wanted to continue with HS2, Mr Johnson added: "We've got a review going on to look at whether the money could be better spent."

:: Listen to All Out Politics on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Euston, where the the line begins in London, was subject to one of thousands of compulsory purchase orders on land.

Michael Gross who had to relinquish the property says he was underpaid and that HS2 knew their costs would rise.

He told Sky News: "There must be accountability for these people. They've impacted negatively 22,000 claimants they've ripped off the taxpayer, and if they're allowed to get away with it, this country is in big trouble."

Image: Michael Gross said there must be accountability on the project

But Sir Richard Leese, the deputy mayor of Greater Manchester for business, says the line is worth the cost.

He told Sky News: "It needs to be built in full and it needs to be built alongside Northern Powerhouse rail. This is not a choice of either or.

"The North of England needs to be better connected with the rest of the county as well as being better connected across the North."

Image: HS2 has been controversial since it was announced

A statement from the Department for Transport said: "The government commissioned the Oakervee review to provide advice on how and whether to proceed with HS2, with an independent panel representing a range of viewpoints. Lord Berkeley's report represents his personal view."

An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: "There have been many individual views expressed about the HS2 project, however we await the publication of the government's official review.

"HS2 Ltd has provided full cooperation to Mr Oakervee and his review team, and if the government decides to proceed we have a highly skilled team in place ready to build Britain's new railway.

"Investment in a state-of-the-art high speed line is critical for the UK's low-carbon transport future, will provide much needed rail capacity up and down the country, and is integral to rail projects in the North and Midlands which will help rebalance the UK economy."