Theresa May told to shelve budget-busting HS2 with the public and Parliament still in the dark about crucial details

THERESA May is under intense pressure tonight to shelve HS2 amid claims ministers have no idea of the final bill, the route or how they’ll recruit 25,000 workers.

Tory backbenchers demanded a review as a Commons Committee tore into the huge “uncertainty” surrounding the project – which has already bust its £55 billion budget.

A scathing report found there were serious doubts over how HS2 will plug a £7 billion blackhole in funding for the “volatile” second phase of the project – which is set to extend the High Speed link from the Midlands to Crewe and Manchester to Leeds.

And it warned there were still huge question marks over when the first phase will open – stating HS2 believes there is just a 60 per cent chance of the line from London opening as planned in 2026.

Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the Public Accounts Committee said: “Parliament and the public are still in the dark about crucial details – not least when the railway will open and how much it is expected to cost and precisely where it will go.”

The blast comes just days after HS2 chief Simon Kirby quit to join Rolls Royce ahead of a key announcement about contracts for Phase II.

Ms Hillier tonight called on the PM to commit once for all to HS2 given growing uncertainty about the plans amid mounting opposition.

She told the Sun: “We need clarity”.

She pointed out that plans for a station in Meadowhall, south Yorkshire had already been ripped up in favour of running HS2 into Sheffield Midland. Meanwhile, bosses admitted that it would be “particularly challenging” to find 25,000 constriction workers required to build the line with the necessary skills.

A DfT spokesman insisted: “The Government is fully committed to HS2 and the project is on time and on budget.” He added that HS2 would be the “backbone of our national rail network”.