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HS2 campaigners hope Patrick McLoughlin cabinet appointment will signal change of tack - and track
An artist's impression of the HS2 line
Anti-HS2 campaigners are hoping the appointment of a new transport secretary will lead to a change in Government attitudes towards the £32 billion project.
Anti-HS2 campaigners are hoping the appointment of a new transport secretary will lead to a change in Government attitudes towards the £32 billion project.
Former chief whip Patrick McLoughlin replaced Justine Greening in the post as David Cameron reshuffled his cabinet pack.
The change has given campaigners renewed optimism that the controversial plan could still be scrapped.
Bucks County Council leader and 51m alliance chairman, Councillor Martin Tett, said: “The business case for HS2 has collapsed and there are much more important priorities for infrastructure investment that will bring jobs and growth now, when we need them.
“We trust that Patrick McLoughlin, the new secretary of state, will approach the issue of HS2 with an open mind, look at the facts and the alternatives that 51m have put forward and decide to consign this project to the waste paper bin.”
A new transport minister has also been appointed, with Theresa Villiers replaced by Simon Burns.
The changes come as former Conservative leadership candidate, David Davis MP, said HS2 would be a waste of money.
Mr Davis said: “It would make us about third in Europe in an old technology. What we should be doing is to make us first in the world in a new technology.”
Meanwhile, HS2 Action Alliance Director Hilary Wharf was unsure as to whether the double switch was a sign of change or that the Government is comfortable with the plans.
She said: “We are hoping it can signal a new start for HS2. He [Mr Mcloughlin] comes from a part of the UK which values the countryside.
“It’s going to be very interesting.”
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Weather for Aylesbury
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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