British Railways (London) Bill

Part of Ways and Means – in the House of Commons at 8:05 pm on 15 March 1988.

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Photo of Edward Leigh Edward Leigh , Gainsborough and Horncastle 8:05, 15 March 1988

As my hon. Friend says, whatever the present plans may be, we are not sure whether they will change. But I see that I am irritating the hon. Member for West Bromwich, East, so I shall draw my remarks to a close.

Let me say this to the hon. Gentleman, and to British Rail representatives who are following the Bill. We are talking about a £100 million investment. It may be an excellent investment for the people of London, and I do not wish to hold up the Bill's passage for that reason. Having said that, however, I feel that my constituents will want to know why, although we have asked repeatedly for an assurance that a through-train service to King's Cross will be retained, British Rail has been unable to give that assurance. Why is it necessary for provincial Members to come to the House and speak on London Bills to make British Rail aware of their problems?

We shall go on speaking, and we shall go on fighting for our constituents' interests. We shall do it any way that we possibly can.