Group calls for MP to resign if 200mph trains get go-ahead

Sep 23 2010 By Lawrence Poole, Buckinghamshire Examiner

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ANTI-HS2 campaigners have demanded MP Cheryl Gillan resigns from her cabinet post if controversial plans are approved to allow 200mph trains to hurtle through the Chilterns.

The Chesham and Amersham MP, also the Secretary of State for Wales in the coalition government, has criticised the plans in the past.

But the Great Missenden Village Association (GMVA) has written to the Conservative MP and demanded she does the 'honourable' thing and quit her cabinet job to concentrate on fighting the plans from the backbenches, if HS2 is rubber-stamped.

The letter also outlines the group's various concerns after the Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond, confirmed the HS2 plans in his speech on sustainable transport on September 10.

Signed by about 200 businesses, it is the latest in a long line of measures taken by residents in recent months, which culminated in a protest walk organised by the Chiltern Society earlier this month.

In the letter the GMVA mention how Mrs Gillan endorsed Aylesbury MP David Lidington's warnings about the proposed route at a Commons adjournment debate in March, and state they believe there is no evidence the wider public views HS2 as a spending priority.

It also suggests answers to legitimate questions have not been forthcoming and environmental issues have not been addressed properly.

Signed by co-chairmen Seb Berry and Claire Marriott, the duo believe the letter would be backed by residents from across the region. The letter reads: "Villagers simply want to know that our MP will honour the commitments she made to them before the last election. In the event that the proposed route is confirmed by the coalition government over the next few weeks, Mrs Gillan's position as a cabinet minister, sharing the collective government responsibility for such a decision, would clearly be untenable."

The Cardiff-born MP, who was re-elected to her constituency with an extra 3,000 votes in May, could not be reached for her response to GMVA's letter.

The high-speed line from London to Birmingham would run right through the Chilterns, a recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

* The Examiner launched the Save Our Chilterns campaign following our readers' overwhelming response to the plans. Do you think Cheryl Gillan should resign from the government if HS2 is confirmed? Email Lawrence Poole at lawrencepoole@trinitysouth.co.uk.