While the Conservative-led Coalition lays out its latest case for HS2 and the alleged benefits it would bring, there are several important issues that they won't want to mention.

First, they assure us that the project will stay within budget. Really? It has already increased from £33billion to £43billion and since when has any major public project stayed within budget?

Then there will be the disruption to normal services, the destruction of the countryside, property, farms and people’s lives and much more. And for what? To save a meagre amount of journey time?

Will it really create the thousands of jobs and inflate the economy north of Watford Gap?

The one thing for certain that neither the current Government nor Labour will admit to is that HS2 was part of two plans drawn up by Jacques Delors in 1993. One was to create the single currency, the other being Trans-European Networks (TENS) to integrate the EU transport and communication systems.

There are many cheaper alternatives available at a fraction of the costs that would be of greater benefit to the nation and to everyone who travels by train.

Yet again it appears that we must obey the EU at any cost. HS2 must be stopped.

Philip Griffiths, UK Independence Party.