Publication of an official review into the High Speed 2 rail project has been blocked by the Transport Secretary, leading to suggestions that the report contains damning evidence about the scheme.

Patrick McLoughlin claims it is not in the public interest to disclose the contents of the report. He used his power of veto to overturn a decision made by the Information Commissioner last summer that the Cabinet Office must disclose a project assessment review carried out by the Government’s own Major Projects Authority.

Mr McLoughlin gave the Information Commissioner a certificate under 53 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which means that its decision notice of last year ceases to have effect.

“My decision to exercise this power of veto was not taken lightly,” Mr McLoughlin said. “I have taken into account the views of Cabinet, Ministers and the Information Commissioner in considering the balance of the public interest in disclosure and non disclosure and whether this is an exceptional case. My view is that the public interest favours non disclosure.”

The Information Commissioner Christopher Graham described the decision as disappointing. “I will be studying the Secretary of State’s explanation to understand why this has been ruled an exceptional case,” he said. “There are important legal issues to be considered here and I will be highlighting our view of them in an open letter to the Justice Commission in due course.”

Richard Houghton of the HS2 Action Alliance, which campaigns against the project, said: “We cannot work out how a Major Projects Authority project assessment report is not in the public interest. It leads us to believe that the report is damning.”
 

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