Government urges HS2 opponents to avoid 'expensive litigation'

By dismissing all seven grounds of appeal and declining to refer the case to Europe, this is the second time in four months a court has rejected attempts to derail HS2.

Parliament is the right place to debate the merits of HS2, not the law courts, and we will introduce the hybrid bill for Phase One before the year is out.

I urge opponents not to waste any more taxpayers' money on expensive litigation and instead work with us on making HS2 the very best it can be.

We continue to move forward with the crucial business of getting the scheme ready for construction in 2017 and delivering enormous benefits for the country.