David Higgins, new chairman of the High Speed 2 (HS2), has said that he is looking to reduce the cost of the HS2 project in order to increase political support.

The comments made on BBC Radio come as the HS2 scheme faces heavy criticism from both within the media and parliament regarding the cost, impact and practicality of the planned route.

The Labour party has indicated that they would be more cautious in their approach to HS2 and allocation resources to the programme.

Despite the criticism PM David Cameron has hailed the project as a keystone in modernising UK infrastructure and growing the economy.

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