A reporter asked if the high-speed line would reach Manchester. He responded: “We’re getting on with delivering [the project], I’m not going to comment on speculation.”

HS2’s second leg has been dogged by rising costs.

Construction has already begun on the first leg, between London and Birmingham.

The government has pledged to “level up” the country with HS2. Some Labour and Tory MPs have warned against reducing it.

Former prime minister Theresa May joined the chorus of Conservative voices warning against downgrading the project on Saturday. West Midlands mayor Andy Street has also criticized the idea, and London mayor Sadiq Khan has warned it would make the UK look foolish.

Mr Sunak, however, rejected the criticism, telling Kuenssberg that the government was “absolutely committed to leveling up across the country”.

A leveling up fund has been established for 55 towns, and the UK has attracted “billions of pounds in investment, creating jobs across the country”.

It was right for the government to keep HS2’s leg to Manchester under review because it had a “big impact” on costs, said Transport Minister Richard Holden on Sunday.