Message to your MP and key government members: *

I’ve just seen the short film at StandForTheTrees.org Please watch it too. I'm shocked by the hypocrisy of our Government, especially during lockdown. In February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched COP26 declaring that: 'Only by repairing the damage to the natural world and restoring the balance between humanity and nature - which is now so grotesquely out of kilter - that we can address the problem of climate change.' Sir David Attenborough was also invited to speak and said it was so encouraging to know that the present Government has declared this year as the 'year of action'. The following week, the Prime Minister's action betrayed Sir David and us all - by approving the construction of HS2 - which will destroy almost 700 wildlife sites, including over 100 ancient woodlands, won’t be Net Zero for over 120 years and will also enable large-scale airport expansion. HS2 will deplete nature even further and prevent us from achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. HS2 will make the UK look ridiculous in front of COP26. On top of this, Covid-19 has changed the way we work. Travel has been decimated and will remain reduced. Even before Covid-19, HS2's new business case confirmed poor value for money. We should now be investing far more into our NHS, not into further destroying nature and our climate with the £100billion+ HS2 will cost. High speed broadband would be another far better investment than HS2. Allowing HS2 to continue works that destroy wildlife sites in nesting season is another major area of concern. Destroying nature at its most sensitive time is not 'essential work'. HS2 and its contractors remain unregulated and the risks of spreading Covid-19 are increased. This must not be allowed to continue. HS2 must be stopped and rethought. Please respond to this request. Thank you.