Considering the relatively low priority of rail in the minds of most of the British public and politicians and the Government’s multiple U-turns recently, it would be a turn-up indeed if David Cameron’s first real Cabinet sacking turned out to be over HS2.
Of course David Laws had to go over expenses just days into the Coalition Government, but it does seem possible that Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan is prepared to be the second to lose her job.
She is between a rock and a hard place, of course – her Chesham and Amersham constituents in Buckinghamshire might not let her keep her job as an MP if she prioritised collective Cabinet responsibility on HS2 over representing their views.
Cameron has shown himself a tolerant boss to errant ministers, and he may feel perfectly able to let Gillan express her views. It could set a precedent, however, if such senior ministers are allowed to publicly denounce Government policy. Either way, Gillan’s mind certainly seems made up on this issue.
