The latest stories from across the UK.
Government data shows 189 major projects had a combined whole-life cost of £924.2 billion at the end of March 2026 — but the figure represents costs across the lifetime of the projects, not money already spent.
HS2’s latest official cost range has risen to between £87.7 billion and £102.7 billion, while the first passenger services are not expected until between 2036 and 2039.
Britain's new Sizewell C nuclear power station has a target construction cost of around £38 billion, with taxpayers and electricity consumers sharing significant financial exposure.
The National Audit Office estimated Home Office and Ministry of Justice asylum spending at around £4.9 billion in 2024-25, while warning that the figure does not capture all costs falling elsewhere in the public sector.
