Boris Johnson apparently blurts out 'keep digging' HS2 plan to a 10-year-old

Boris Johnson appears to have blurted out his feelings on controversial rail project HS2 in an interview with a 10-year-old.

The Prime Minister was giving an interview to FYI, a news show for kids broadcast on Sky News.

He was asked about HS2 by 10-year-old Braydon Brent, and appeared to hint the costly transport project is set to get the go-ahead from his government.

In a less than full-throated endorsement of the plan, Mr Johnson said: "In a hole the size of HS2, the only thing to do is keep digging."

Asked to explain what HS2 was, he said: "It's a colossal railway line. Now the truth is, the people who did it spent far too much money, they were profligate with the way they did it. Do you know what I mean by profligate?

"They just wasted money. And the whole was 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."

Mr Brent said: "I’m sure with you as Prime Minister, I’m sure you’ll get out of it. Is it a deep hole or is it a small one?"

Mr Johnson replied: "It’s a ... in a hole the size of HS2, the only thing to do is keep digging.

"That’s what you’ve got to do. It’s a big hole."

It's thought the PM is planning to give the green-light to the project within weeks.

It received a major boost yesterday when Chancellor Sajid Javid threw his support behind HS2.

Treasury sources said the Mr Javid would be going into a crunch Number 10 meeting “broadly supportive” of the controversial project.

But Downing Street were keeping their options open ahead of the meeting.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It's an important decision that will be taken based on the facts and we will announce it when we are ready."

It has been estimated the scheme, which was allocated £56 billion in 2015, could cost up to £106 billion.

A review into the project, led by former HS2 Ltd chairman Doug Oakervee, was leaked last week.

It recommended that "on balance" the Government should go ahead with the railway, despite warning that its cost could reach £106 billion.

The project was allocated £56 billion in 2015.

The National Audit Office recently stated that the Department for Transport set the available funding for the first phase in 2013, when there was only a "basic" design for the project.

Some £8 billion has already been spent on the scheme.

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.

Construction firms warn that scrapping it would cause major damage to the industry.

But opponents insist HS2 is too expensive and the money would be better spent elsewhere, while several environmental groups say it would cause huge damage to natural habitats and ancient woodland.