Andy Street says he 'was never going to quit' as West Midlands mayor over scrapping of HS2

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says he will not resign from the mayoralty, after speculation that he would quit over Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester.

Speaking to the BBC's Chris Mason, Conservative mayor Mr Street said he was "very disappointed" with the Prime Minister's decision and had been lobbying him to persevere with the high speed rail project.

The mayor said he had held "cordial" talks with the Prime Minister and admitted "some you win, some you lose". He said rail travel will "continue to play a critical role" in the Government's agenda.

He told the BBC Mr Sunak had assured him they would continue to work together.

He said: "I will carry on as mayor.

"This is not a one-nil loss. I will remain a member of the Conservative party.

"I have never said that I was considering resigning. Lots of journalists have said it to me very vociferously. I did not answer the question.

"Of course I've thought about it [leaving the Conservative party]. I was never going to quit as mayor."

Mr Street had earlier said axing HS2 to Manchester would be “an incredible political gaffe” allowing opponents to accuse Mr Sunak of having decided to “shaft the North” while in Manchester.

Mr Street put off a trip to Munich to drum up investment for his region, instead choosing to stay in Manchester.