The North is facing “yet another kick in the teeth” after the Government suggested that funding for a long-awaited high-speed rail project could be cut again.

Prime Minister Liz Truss has promised to build the rail network “in full” and abandon the scaled-back plans, announced by her predecessor Boris Johnson.

She appears to have reverted back to Transport for the North’s original plans for a £43bn network, which includes high-speed lines running between Liverpool to Leeds, via a new station in Bradford.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told MPs earlier this week that funding for major infrastructure projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail could potentially be cut, when he set out a new economic plan and tore up most of Truss’ spending pledges and tax cuts.

Prime Minister Liz Truss has promised passengers she will ensure Northern Powerhouse Rail is built "in full"

He said the Government is “not taking anything off the table” due to “the severity of the situation at the moment”.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “If the often-promised high-speed rail service through Bradford isn’t delivered, it will be yet another kick in the teeth for the North of England.

"Only last month did Liz Truss promise that it will be built. So, to cast doubt on such a vital connection because of mistakes made by her own government is frankly absurd.”

"Meanwhile, people in our region have to suffer the consequences from decades of underinvestment in our rail services, slowing down our economy at a time where it needs support most.“

Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh MP said Northern communities are expected “to pay the price” after the Conservative government “crashed the economy”.

“Twelve years of broken promises from this discredited government has held the North back. The change this country needs is a Labour government,” she added.

Patrick Mcloughlin, Chair of Transport for the North, said: “We will have to wait until the end of the month to see what this means when the fiscal statement is published.

“But the Prime Minister has been very clear that she agrees with Transport for the North members that Northern Powerhouse Rail should be built in full with a stop at Bradford, furthermore the Chancellor also said in that statement that he sees capital spending as vital to economic growth.”

The Department of Transport (DfT) has been sent back to the drawing board and it is due to complete a new business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail by the end of the year.

The Government’s Growth Plan, published last month, also stated it is one of 138 projects that will be “accelerated as fast as possible”.

A DfT spokeswoman said Northern Powerhouse Rail is “a vital project” which will “better connect communities and unlock potential across the North”.

Ms Truss has refused to revert back to the original proposals for HS2, which were scaled back in the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).

According to the plan, the eastern leg of HS2 will stop at East Midlands Parkway, but trains will then run on an existing line to Sheffield and £100m will be spent on a study that will “look at the most effective way to run HS2 trains to Leeds”.

Northern leaders have been waiting almost a year for the study, known as the Leeds Area Study, to be launched and it has reportedly been delayed after the Treasury questioned the cost.

Transport for the North has revealed the study is expected to take 18 months to two years to complete, but it cannot begin until new Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan publishes the terms of reference.

Northern Powerhouse Rail funding cut would be ‘another kick in the teeth’