Boris Johnson seems to lets slip HS2 WILL get the green light admitting that the government is 'in a hole' over the £100billion high-speed rail project but will 'keep digging'

• Boris Johnson seems to confirm government will push ahead with HS2 project
• Official announcement on the massive rail development not due until next week 
• There is a growing Tory rebellion over the £106bn scheme amid cost concerns
• Reports suggest ministers considering splitting HS2 into three separate projects

Boris Johnson tonight appeared to let slip that HS2 will get the green light - admitting that the government is 'in a hole' but will 'keep digging'.

The PM seemed to confirm the go-ahead for the controversial £100billion project in an interview with a 10-year-old on Sky News. 

The signal came after months of bitter rowing over whether to continue with the scheme despite spiralling costs and the threat of a huge Tory rebellion. 

Mr Johnson met with Chancellor Sajid Javid and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to consider the situation earlier this week - with Mr Javid believed to have been convinced that the government must push ahead. 

However, no official announcement is expected until next week. 

Speaking to young Braydon Brent on children's new show FYI today, Mr Johnson explained that HS2 was a 'colossal' project. 

'The truth is, the people who did it spent far too much money, they were profligate with the way they did it,' he said. 

'And the whole way it was managed was hopeless. So we’re in a hole, we’re in a mess. But we’ve got to get out of it. And we need a way forward, so we’re thinking about how to sort it out now.'

Asked whether it was a 'deep hole or small one', Mr Johnson replied: 'In a hole the size of HS2, the only thing to do is keep digging.' 

Transport chiefs believe the government could decide to split the planned HS2 rail network into three separate projects in a bid to save money and win over opponents. 

Such a move would reduce the headline figure of the £106 billion infrastructure project and potentially make it more acceptable to its critics.  

If Mr Johnson does go ahead with HS2 it will put him at odds with maverick chief aide Dominic Cummings who previously described it as a 'disaster zone'.  

It is thought the PM's backing for the project would come with the caveat that it must make significant cost savings. 

Industry figures have been speculating that ministers will break HS2 up into three separate projects to make the cost more palatable.

The first phase from London to Birmingham would still be known as HS2 but the route from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester would be rebranded as northern regeneration while HS2-related works at Euston station would also be split off as a separate initiative.

Many in the government believe HS2 must go ahead in order to deliver on the PM's promise to 'level up' the UK and spread prosperity away from London. 

In 2015 it was costed at £56 billion but a leaked review commissioned by the government examining the viability and value for money of the project recently revealed it could end up costing as much as £106 billion.   

Mr Johnson told the Commons earlier this week that a decision on the project would be made 'very shortly'. 

He said: 'I just want to reassure all of my honourable friends and everybody, whatever persuasion they may be about HS2 across this Chamber, that there will be an announcement and a decision very shortly.' 

Approximately £8billion has already been spent on HS2 but there is growing disquiet among some Tory MPs who are adamant it is a waste of money.

They have urged the government to scrap the project and spend the cash on smaller infrastructure improvements instead, like better bus services and pothole repairs. 

Whitehall's spending watchdog said this month that HS2 is over budget and behind schedule because its complexity and risks were under-estimated.

The National Audit Office (NAO) warned that it is impossible to 'estimate with certainty what the final cost could be'.

Phase One between London and Birmingham was due to open in 2026, but full services are now forecast to start between 2031 and 2036.

Business chiefs in the north of England have argued that pushing forward with HS2 is key to boosting transport links across the region and providing increased capacity on the overcrowded rail network.