Stanley Johnson: HS2 rail plan will lose Tory voters
The HS2 rail plan is "bust" and "politically flawed" and could cost the Conservative Party votes at upcoming elections, say Stanley Johnson.
The author and former Tory MEP - who is also father of the London mayor, Boris Johnson and MP Jo Johnson - said it would have a devastating impact on woodlands in the Chilterns, and see the loss of green areas around Euston and Camden, in north London.
In his personal film for This Week, he claimed the project - to run initially from London and Birmingham, and later Leeds and Manchester - could blight 500,000 homes.
In a vote on Thursday afternoon, MPs backed the legislation to release funds to pay for surveys, buy property and compensate evicted residents by 350 votes to 34.
More from This Week: Watch full programmes from the last 12 months via BBC iPlayer; "like" us on Facebook, external page or "follow" us on Twitter, external