HS2 U-turn was a disguised climbdown

THE Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, recently announced that the eastern leg of HS2 will not go ahead, the reason being that the timescale for delivery is unacceptably long.

It seems that the Government has suddenly arrived at this conclusion, despite the fact that the itinerary for the full HS2 project was announced by Lord Adonis 12 years ago.

This is the latest in an awkward series of the U-turns by this Government, but this decision is to be applauded as a victory for common sense, better late than never.

I believe the reasons behind it are quite simply the hideous expense and the wanton destruction of our countryside, which have been the principle objections to HS2 all along.

They have eventually arrived at the correct decision in such a way that they save face and avoid having to admit defeat on the issue and we now await a similarly disguised climbdown regarding the future of the rest of it.

We note with interest the reaction of the Erewash MP, saying that she intends to launch yet another of her campaigns “to properly compensate all those whose lives have been blighted by HS2 Phase 2b for more than a decade”.

Is this the same HS2 Phase 2b that she so enthusiastically supported, even in the face of overwhelming groundswell opposition to it in her constituency?

If she had done what she was elected to do and supported her constituents in their hour of need, these “blighted” people would not need to be compensated.

It is to be hoped that her efforts do not prove too much of a distraction from her important ministerial duties lest she lose her grip on the greasy pole.

Steve Thornton,

Long Eaton