ANTI-HS2 campaigners have written to the Government to ask questions over the withdrawal of engineering firm CH2M from the HS2 contract.

The questions have been submitted to the Transport and Public Accounts Committees by Mid Cheshire Against HS2.

The group’s questions relate to a range of issues including corporate governance in selecting a delivery partner, due diligence and conflict of interest.

“We pose these questions as stakeholders in the Phase 2b route between Crewe and Manchester,” said the letter from the group to the committees.

“We already have important issues regarding the safety implications of the selected route, which are expressed in our response to the recent Phase 2b route refinement consultation.

“We are very aware of the exceptionally high level of dependency that HS2 Ltd has upon the competencies of its contractors, and wish to be sure that those contractors are selected under stringent constraints and without risk of partiality.

“There are so many questions about the selection process that the only way to satisfy us as stakeholders and taxpayers is for the whole of the procurement process to be re-run.”

The letter has been sent by Christopher Triffitt, Graham Dellow, Christopher Wilson and Simon Roberts on behalf of Mid Cheshire Against HS2.