Even HS2's defenders are abandoning it. Rishi Sunak, it's time to follow suit | Simon Jenkins

Only political expediency has kept this terrible mistake on the rails. Pull the brakes – and save Britain billions

This week there are to be two HS2s. The first is a truly rotten infrastructure project. The second is a political icon of awesome potency. They have absolutely nothing in common.

From its conception in 2009, HS2 was a dud: a Labour government glamour project revived by the Cameron government in the hope it might counterbalance its plans for extreme local austerity. The coalition event...