Commenting on reports that construction of HS2 between Birmingham and Crewe will be “delayed” to save money (see here), Michael Fabricant says:-

“I shall be asking the Government whether this delay marks the end of HS2 north of Birmingham for good and whether HS2 will make good the damage already done in southern Staffordshire including to my Lichfield constituency.

“Simply saying the project is delayed is not good enough.  The area has been blighted by whole fields turned into construction sites.  Anyone driving along the A38 between Birmingham and Burton can see for themselves the work going on near the City of Lichfield.  Will these sites now be abandoned or completed?  If they are to be abandoned, will there be remedial work to restore the countryside?  And what of compensation for my constituents who have had their lives and businesses wrecked by the construction work?

“This project with the backing of Labour and the Lib-Dems should never have gone ahead in the first place.  Covid has encouraged remote working and even now regular rail commutes are down by 40% on pre-Covid levels.  The Government are well aware this makes the business case for HS2 even less convincing than it was in the first place.”