Tories edge back from high-speed rail plans

The political consensus over the development of a national high-speed train network appeared to shatter yesterday after the Conservatives refused to endorse a proposed 200mph London-to-Birmingham route due to fears over a voter backlash.

Transport secretary secretary Lord Adonis has been trying to build cross-party support for the proposed High Speed 2 link, and has warned that for the multibillion-pound project to succeed it must be "above politics".

Early indications suggested a consensus could be developed with both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats signalling they would pursue plans to extend the UK's high-speed rail network.

However, Theresa Villiers, the shadow transport secretary, said yesterday that the Tories had turned down offers to view an advanced copy of a white paper on the London-to-Birmingham line until members of the public could see it too.

The paper is due to be published next month and will be followed by a public consultation.

Instead, the Conservatives have reserved the right to draw up an alternative route should they win the election, arguing it would be "unfair" to strike a deal behind closed doors before consulting the communities that will be affected by the new rail line.

Villiers told the BBC's Today programme that, while the white paper would be "a very important contribution" to the debate, the Conservatives did not want it "to close down the options".

"We don't want there to be some cosy deal reached behind closed doors, which closes out the communities that may be affected by the route," she said. "We're not playing politics with the issue."

Lord Adonis retorted that there was "no question" of a route being finalised without public consultation.

The proposed line is expected to cut through key Tory constituencies in the home counties and the west Midlands, including the Chiltern Hills ­– one of 40 officially recognised areas of outstanding natural beauty in England and Wales.

A Conservative party source told the Guardian that concerns over the electoral impact of the plans had been at the centre of the decision. "We don't want to lose 10 seats backing a route blindly," they said.

The Conservatives insisted they remain committed to a high-speed rail link, and have commissioned a team of independent experts to scrutinise the plans drawn up by government-owned company High Speed Two. The group has already been briefed verbally, but have not yet seen the final report, which Lord Adonis received last December.

Villiers said that she saw high-speed rail as offering a low-carbon alternative to short-haul flights and a viable replacement for plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport, which the Conservatives have said they would block if elected.