Commenting on the further delay to a decision on the third airport runway in the south-east, Michael Fabricant intervened in a statement being made by the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, in the House of Commons yesterday (14th December).

Hansard reports:

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): My right hon. Friend justifies the additional delay by saying, quite rightly, that he wants to get the decision right. It just occurs to me that if we had done the same with HS2, it could have been cheaper and less environmentally damaging. May I say that that is an observation and not a question? No reply is needed.

Mr McLoughlin: I should give one, just to put the record straight. The HS2 route has undergone considerable improvement, much of which my hon. Friend has campaigned for, and he has got his own way on what he wanted in his constituency.

Michael adds “We have indeed seen major improvements to the route in Lichfield, but the overall route still doesn’t link with the continent or even Heathrow airport. And by not using existing transport corridors, it is environmentally damaging as it crashes across unspoiled countryside and at least £8 billion more expensive than it need be because of the extra tunnelling required.”