Overview

• HS2 Ltd’s internal investigation found a subcontractor allegedly misclassified self-employed workers as PAYE staff and submitted counterfeit payslips.
• The probe focuses on two labour-supply firms that provided employees to Balfour Beatty Vinci on the West Midlands section.
• HM Revenue & Customs has launched a fraud inquiry and HS2 Ltd has suspended the implicated subcontractor pending its outcome.
• CEO Mark Wild is conducting a comprehensive review of the project’s timeline and budget before recommending a full organisational reset.
• Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will present Wild’s initial findings to the government as the expected London-to-Birmingham completion cost nears £100 billion.