The high level Commons committee has recommended that the HS2 rail link between London and the North should be put on hold as it found some shortcomings in the project.

The ministers said that the project would need a more convincing economic case. The Treasury estimates showed that the link would cost £42.6 billion, which is about 17 per cent higher than the earlier estimates. The Treasury Select Committee said that the project should not proceed until the government works on a new analysis showing the project would deliver major economic benefits.

Business leaders in the UK have asked the government to consider shelving the £50 billion HS2 high-speed rail project claiming that the project is not required for the business scenario. The Public Accounts Committee said the Department for Transport has not been able to make a convincing case. The Institute of Directors (IoD) have asked the ministers to abandon the project, which it described as the "grand folly". Simon Walker, the head of the Institute of Directors said that there is no business case for the line linking London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds during the next 20 years.

The remarks come amid growing opposition to the project among the ministers. The Institute of Economic Affairs have warned that the project could see its cost rise by £80 billion. The government has said that the cost of line could not rise further and the CBI has said that investors and taxpayers wanted to know that there is a substantial business case for the project. Walker announcing a survey of more than 1,300 business leaders claimed that the government could better spend the money elsewhere.