Response to HS2 letter of 25 February 2018

Letters to the Editor

Dear Mr Smith,

Thank you for your email regarding HS2.

As I have consistently said over the last 8 years since the scheme was announced, I have enormous concerns about the project. I have profound doubts not only about its environmental impact, but also about the business case behind it. I fought as hard as I possibly could within the Government to present the case against HS2 and I also made sure that every argument put by my constituents was presented forcefully to the Prime Ministers, Transport Ministers and others, as well as in evidence which I gave to the Select Committees in both Houses of Parliament.

However, despite my personal feelings, HS2 is supported by the great majority of Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP MPs and Peers. I know also from meetings with local councillors, businesses and trade union representatives that there is strong support for HS2 in cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.

I have supported plans for a Mined or Extended tunnel past Wendover since they were initially announced and have made direct representations both to the Prime Minister and the Transport Secretary in support of these proposals. As you may know, members of the Wendover Society and Wendover Parish Council recently met Sir John Randall, the Prime Minister’s Environmental Advisor, to make the case for the Mined Tunnel. I have recommended to him that he seriously consider the proposals, including the detailed engineering work that has been commissioned on these proposals and the potential cost savings that they represent.

I will continue to support the case that my constituents are making for the Mined Tunnel plan, as well as continuing to represent the interests of individual constituents and local communities with the impacts of HS2 throughout the next phases of the project as it moves on into design and construction. If you have any further questions about HS2 or any other matters, please do not hesitate to get in touch again.

Yours sincerely,

David Lidington
Member of Parliament for Aylesbury