Transport Secretary Richard Holden says HS2 rail services will start from London to Birmingham in 2033.
He said the government was “focused on its delivery” and the project was creating jobs and houses.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the current plan would see longer journey times between the UK’s two largest cities than currently on offer.
She was asking for an update after press reports that the line would not go to Manchester as first planned, calling that a “humiliating Conservative failure”.
