When it was first given the go-ahead again in 2012, Britain’s new high-speed rail line connecting the south, the Midlands and the north of England was predicted to price £32.7bn.

Now, after delays and inflation fuelled by Brexit, COVID and the invasion of Ukraine, this determine is nearer to £100bn. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also avoided answering questions on whether or not the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the route will go forward, leaving the way forward for the mission shrouded in uncertainty.

So why was the preliminary price estimate so completely different to what the ultimate quantity shall be?

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson sits down with our enterprise correspondent Paul Kelso to debate the issues with the best way the UK plans main infrastructure tasks and asks whether or not any of those tasks ever come near what they’re predicted to price.

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