Westminster venue Church House Conference Centre has been chosen to host Spectator Events’ Stop HS2! debate, in association with Brewin Dolphin, on October 31st.
Leader of UKIP Nigel Farage MEP and journalist and broadcaster Matthew Parris will be going head-to-head to thrash out the pros and cons of the proposed £50bn HS2 High Speed Rail service. The Spectator magazine has hinted at the provocative nature of the debate: “It’s a plan that will take twenty years to complete and wreak havoc in the countryside. Is it worth it? Or is it just a Westminster vanity project?”
Speakers for the motion also include Rory Sutherland, executive creative director and vice-chairman of Ogilvy UK and Cheryl Gillan, MP for Chesham and Amersham. Speakers supporting the opposition include, Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council and Stephen Norris, member of the Treasury HS2 Growth Task Force.
Freddy Gray, Managing Editor of The Spectator comments: "Church House is a terrific venue for a public event. The Spectator is hosting our Stop HS2! debate there because we can't think of anywhere better to have a stonking great row about a live political issue of such importance."
The Grade II listed venue offers an elegant and tranquil setting for private and corporate events and has a long history of staging political debates, having played host to the House of Commons and the House of Lords during WWII.
