Political Opposition to HS2
Despite support from the front benches of all three main political parties, HS2 remains a controversial issue. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the Green Party oppose the scheme. The Labour Party has indicated it is not happy with the route being pursued by the Government and would prefer the line to include a more direct connection to Heathrow.
There also remains significant scepticism about HS2 from MPs of all parties, and we believe this will continue to increase as the powerful case against the scheme is made. The comments set out below give an idea of the level of opposition the scheme has already aroused in Parliament.
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David Amess, Con, Southend West |
"I cannot understand why we will spend so much money and upset so many people in order to get to the end of the line 20 minutes sooner than would otherwise be the case. That is absolutely ridiculous and I hope that the Government will think again." |
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Steve Baker, Con, Wycombe |
"I have been a vocal opponent of HS2 in Parliament since my election." |
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Tony Baldry, Con, Banbury |
“[HS2 is] likely to be to the disadvantage of other cities, such as Coventry.” |
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Guto Bebb, Con, Aberconwy |
"How [will] the economic case for north Wales will be improved by making the journey time to Manchester 1h 10 mins rather than 1h 50 mins, when north Wales will still be 3 1/2 hours away?” |
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John Bercow, Speaker, Buckingham |
“Irresponsible and should be rejected…unaffordable”. “I can't promise I can get this reversed, but I can promise to do my level best.” |
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Andrew Bridgen, Con, NW Leicestershire |
"I already have concerns about the cost of HS2, the damage to the countryside and whether it would rebalance the regional economy as planned. Having seen the impact it would have on North West Leicestershire, where we would suffer all of the pain and none of the gain, it only reinforces my views against HS2.” |
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Steve Brine Con, Winchester |
When asked if he would shed any tears if there was a climbdown on HS2 he replied 'No--its hardly the biggest issue in my postbag' and later said 'I think it is a bit of a white elephant' |
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Fiona Bruce, Con, Congleton |
“Many issues (in my constituency) could be resolved at a fraction of the £51m that I understand would be the cost of HS2 to my constituency." |
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Dan Byles, Con, North Warwickshire |
“I will continue to work with local activists and councillors to campaign against this project, which I am firmly opposed to." |
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Bill Cash, Con, Stone |
"We will fight this dreadful HS2 plan" |
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Ronnie Campbell, Lab, Blyth Valley |
“I am beginning to wonder myself if it is a complete waste of time. We could do better things with the money.” |
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Rehman Chisti Con, Gillingham and Rainham |
"......If we want more people to use high-speed rail, it has to be affordable, and we cannot have it at the expense of standard services.” |
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Christopher Chope Con, Christchurch |
HS2 is “an extremely expensive example of political folly...we would get a lot more bang for our buck from this £32 billion in some new motorways, bypasses and upgrading the existing rail network” |
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Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Con, The Cotswolds |
"We are still making strategic decisions that are wrong. We are making a strategic decision on where our major hub airport should be on the basis of which party wins which constituency at the next election. Can we not get an all-party agreement on where our hub airport is? It almost does not matter where it is, but let us make a decision. Also, to come up with the HS2 high-speed rail policy in isolation of where the airport will be is not a clever thing to do." |
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Therese Coffey, Con, Suffolk Coastal |
“....The return on investment from a national, superfast broadband network should far exceed that of HS2...” |
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Jim Cunningham, Lab, Coventry South |
"I am also worried that with this will come an increase in fares firstly to pay for HS2, secondly to make up for the reduction in subsidy on the West Coast Main Line, and thirdly to help the train operators make up for their loss of revenue because of reduced services" |
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David Davis, |
"... we should cancel the blighted HS2 rail project, which will take us 20 years to work up to being second to France, and spend a small fraction of its bloated costs on a superfast broadband to every house in the country, allowing us to steal a march on the whole world..." |
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Frank Dobson, Lab, Holborn & St Pancras |
“I do take a firm view – I am utterly opposed to HS2.” ”HS2 is a vanity project. The sooner it is killed off the better for Camden and the better for Britain.” |
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Nadine Dorries Con Mid Bedfordshire |
"The Government are to invest £17 billion in phase 1 of HS2, which will transport someone from London to Birmingham 20 minutes quicker, yet there are students in my constituency today who cannot accept their place in Bedford college because of the lack of a local transport network, and constituents who cannot accept offers of work because they cannot get to the train stations via a bus network. Would it not be a better use of that investment to put it into regional transport networks so that people can get to work and to college?" |
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Natascha Engel Lab, North East Derbyshire |
"Was an upgrade of the current midland main line service considered as a cheaper, faster and far less destructive alternative to the building of a new London to Leeds HS2 route? If not, why not?" |
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George Eustice, Con, Camborne and Redruth |
"A fortune is being spent to shave 20 minutes of the journey time from London to B'ham when those of us who live at the end of the line in Cornwall have to travel for the best part of 6 hours.” |
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Michael Fabricant Con, Lichfield |
The more analysis I read on the subject, the more sceptical I become that HS2....is the solution the coalition Government should be pursuing.” |
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Frank Field, Lab, Birkenhead |
Signed 26 Nov 2011 letter in Telegraph against HS2 |
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Mark Field, Con, Cities of London & Westminster |
“I must confess that the underlying logic of HS2 has always been something of a mystery to me.” |
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Yvonne Fovargue, Lab, Makerfield |
"......As a nation, if we are serious about rail infrastructure we need a UK-wide approach rather than the offer on the table at present.” |
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Cheryl Gillan Con, Chesham and Amersham |
“I would defy the party whip – be very, very sure of that. My constituency comes first in all instances. The impact on the whole area would be absolutely phenomenal.” |
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Roger Godsiff, Lab, Hall Green (Birmingham) |
"HS2 is 'vanity scheme' which will cost taxpayers billions of pounds for no good reason” and “the money could be better spent improving public transport in Birmingham...." |
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Dominic Grieve, Con, Beaconsfield |
“I realise this is an extremely controversial project and I've already indicated my concerns about it and whether there's a good underlying business case.” |
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Tom Harris, Lab, Glasgow |
".......You can only win the argument for high-speed rail if you can convince the wider public that there is a valid business case........" |
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Chris Heaton-Harris, Con, Daventry |
“I remain an HS2 sceptic and would like to see a proper value for money case put forward and a change of route” |
| Margaret Hodge, Chair Public Accounts Committee Lab , Barking | "The department must revisit its assumptions on HS2 and develop a full understanding of the benefits and costs of high-speed travel compared to the alternatives" |
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Kate Hoey, Lab Vauxhall |
“I am opposed to HS2” |
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Kelvin Hopkins, Lab, Luton North |
“It is an unnecessary route and will be very expensive, and that money would be better spent elsewhere on modernisation, electrification and resignalling.” |
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Nick Hurd Con, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner |
“The project makes no sense if it is just about getting to Birmingham a little faster.” "There is insufficient evidence in the validity of the HS2 business case and there is no environmental case." |
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Stewart Jackson, Con, Peterborough |
"I support the Government’s national infrastructure plan. I particularly welcome specific projects such as the dualling of the A11 and the potential new A14 toll road in Cambridgeshire near my constituency. Is not the lesson of such discrete local transport infrastructure projects that they deliver a much more profound impact on jobs and growth than grandiose projects such as High Speed 2, the business case for which is fatally flawed?" |
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Helen Jones, Lab, Warrington North |
Regarding the threat to homes & communities in Warrington, she describes the Government assessment of the impact of HS2 as "ludicrous" and said the plan looks like it was "worked out on the back of an envelope." |
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Kevan Jones, Lab, North Durham |
"It is a white elephant that will do nothing for the North East....." |
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Greg Knight, Con, East Yorkshire |
... it would be more appropriate to spend just a fraction of this money on improving our own road network, particularly bearing in mind that less than 10% of all journeys are undertaken by rail.” |
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Andrea Leadsom, Con, South Northamptonshire |
"The case simply does not make economic sense…The more I get to know about it, the more against it I am." |
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Jeremy Lefroy Con, Stafford |
“I have been studying the business case for the whole line and I have come to the conclusion that it does not add up. Whether I look at the projected passenger numbers or the budgeted costs, I see major flaws. There is, for instance, little account taken of work done by passengers on trains at the moment. ... Passenger numbers are notoriously difficult to predict. HS1 (London to the Channel Tunnel) is currently running at significantly less than the forecasted demand.” |
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David Liddington, Con, Aylesbury |
“If it came down to it, I would vote against the route as proposed. I am personally against it.” |
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Caroline Lucas, Green, Brighton Pavilion |
“The HS2 rail project is expensive, environmentally damaging, and badly thought through." |
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Anne Main Con, St Albans |
"...I think it is very interesting and important to discuss the business sense behind this scheme, as well as the environmental concerns that have been raised regarding it...." |
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John McDonnell, Lab, Hayes and Harlington |
"......This piecemeal approach is not the way any rational government would go about a consultation on possibly the largest capital infrastructure project in generations.....". |
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Austin Mitchell, Lab, Grimsby |
"“Don't believe all the propaganda the government is putting out about the high speed train and what it will do to boost the North. It will do nothing. ...." |
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Mark Pawsey, Con, Rugby |
".......I am not supportive of the proposals and do not feel that they are justified in the present economic climate..............." |
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Christopher Pincher, Con, Tamworth |
"I continue to question the entire project as I believe the HS2 business case does not stack up..” |
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Stephen Pound, Lab, Ealing North |
“Those of us in Perivale certainly feel the pain, and there is no discernible indication of gain.” |
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Mark Pritchard, Con, The Wrekin |
"....I think the costs to taxpayers and to the environment outweigh any possible benefits......" |
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John Randall, Con, Uxbridge and South Ruislip |
"HS2 is simply not the answer to improved rail services and economic growth. There are other alternatives, which I believe have not been properly considered.” |
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John Redwood, Con, Wokingham |
“This expensive and contentious new track.” |
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Geoffrey Robinson, Lab, Coventry North West |
“A monumental waste of money and diversion of scarce resources.” |
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Adrian Sanders, Lib Dem, Torbay |
“.......Just a tenth of the money they are spending on High Speed Rail could totally reinvigorate transport in the South West...." |
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Alison Seabeck, Lab, Plymouth Moor View |
Regarding negative impact HS2 on investment in South West train services : "There's no doubt the South West has been starved of funds. It's something I have been campaigning on." |
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Barry Sheerman, Lab, Huddersfield |
"The case has not been made and I am concerned that what we are really creating is an over-priced, exclusive commuter line from Manchester to London enabling people to enjoy cheaper house prices in the north and higher wages in the south." |
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Rory Stewart, Con, Penrith and the border |
"...Whilst I appreciate the need for economic growth and development.... I fear the detrimental impact on our countryside and the cost implications, which are too significant to ignore....” |
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Ian Swales, Lim Dem, Redcar |
“I feel high-speed rail is of doubtful benefit to the North East.” |
| Andrew Tyrie, Chair Treasury Select Committee, Con, Chichester | "...there could be politically attractive compensation from the scope created for refocusing spending on addressing visible infrastructure blockages to enterprise and growth, not least in the regions that HS2 is supposed to help." |
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Martin Vickers, Con, Cleesthopes |
“Cleethorpes and the area more generally is desperate for a direct route to London, and one worry is that HS2 will suck up all investment resources....." |
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Sarah Wollaston, Con, Totnes |
"...if just a fraction—even the tiniest fraction—of the investment in HS2 were invested in cycling infrastructure, it could transform the lives of millions of people across the UK. I am a south-west MP and in that region we feel that we could have benefited from a small percentage of that investment in HS2 being invested in electrification of the line down to the south-west, preventing it from being completely cut off every time that it rains heavily." |
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Chris White, Con, Warwick and Leamington |
“In my opinion, HS2 fails…on affordability, effectiveness, and on providing value to the taxpayer – and I will continue to press for the Government to reconsider this project.” |
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Jeremy Wright, Con, Kenilworth and Southam |
“I believe HS2 is defective in two areas – the business case and the preferred route. I am also concerned about the effect HS2 could have on the remainder of the rail network.” |