At first the Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and his officials thought they would be able to brush aside a handful of well-off Nimbys complaining about the proposed route of the £17billion high speed rail link between London and Birmingham.
But after visiting the Chilterns today Mr Hammond knows his problems run much deeper.
His plans to gouge a massive high speed rail link through such true-Blue areas as the Chalfonts, Gerrards Cross, Amersham, Great Missenden, Wendover and the Aylesbury Vale have caused real upset among Conservative activists.
The chairman of Aylesbury Vale Conservative Association has already said he will resign if the High Speed 2 (HS2) route crosses his area. More than 90 per cent of Tory councillors, on both district and county councils, have expressed opposition, and some wealthy supporters are said to be ready to divert their funds from the party to launch a legal appeal.
On top of that, conservationists who work to maintain the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – many traditional Tory supporters – are in no mood for compromise.
All of which puts some heavy Tory MPs on the route of the line in a difficult dilemma. Attorney General Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield) and Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) are cabinet members whose constituencies are directly affected. So too is Europe Minister David Lidington (Aylesbury) and the Speaker John Bercow (Buckingham). Under pressure from constituents, Mrs Gillan has already indicated it could be a resigning issue.
Mr Hammond has still to make a final recommendation that will be put to public consultation next Spring. He’s been told in no uncertain terms it’s not too late to change his mind.
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