Ministers will be given greater oversight over the taxpayer-funded company in charge of HS2, where “inconsistent” and “rapidly changing” figures have made it impossible for officials to develop a reliable view of the project’s cost.
Leaked documents marked “official sensitive” and seen by The Sunday Times say BBV, the high-speed railway project’s biggest private sector supplier, is simply “too large to effectively control”.
Louise Haigh, the transport secretary, will hold regular meetings with HS2 alongside Lord Hendy, a rail minister, and Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, to monitor spending. “I have seen up close the scale of failure in project delivery — and it’s dire,” she said.
She intends to challenge the body over costs and delivery after HS2 was unable to clarify