TORY ministers must “stop pussyfooting around” with more delays to the troubled High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, transport union TSSA is demanding today.

The intervention comes as the National Audit Office (NAO) urges Downing Street to use a new two-year moratorium on fresh construction work at the project’s London terminal in Euston to develop a design that is “affordable, deliverable and value for money.”

In its latest report — out today — the independent body said the government must “reassess expectations for HS2, its budget and the public benefit” amid soaring inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.