The Transport Committee has called for a full assessment exploring the option of building High Speed 2 (HS2) the opposite way around.

Doing so would mean constructing the links from Manchester and Leeds, both running to Birmingham, first, before extending down to London.

It announces this as MPs back the strategic case for HS2, but suggests looking into the option of either starting in the north first, or developing both ends concurrently.

Chair of the Transport Committee Louise Ellman said: "If we are to spread the benefits ... it is vital we improve links between the conventional and high speed networks and bring forward projects to speed up journey times on the conventional network."

The organisation also asked the Department for Transport to inform the public on costs more clearly, stating the current scheme costs £28 billion, not the commonly assigned figure of £50 billion. It argues the latter represents additional work, such as tunnelling to avoid disrupting housing, and are not inclusive of the project itself.