The campaign to bring high-speed rail into the West Midlands has come up against a formidable opponent in the frame of a nine-year-old boy from Balsall Common.
Alex Rukin has become the youngest person ever to appear before Parliament and described the landmark setting as being “like Hogwarts”.
He was petitioning a committee of MPs investigating the case for the HS2 high-speed rail link between London, the Midlands and the North.
He told the HS2 Hybrid Bill Committee that the new rail line will run over a viaduct opposite his mother’s house in Balsall Common and will disrupt his sleep, while construction works threaten to affect roads in the area for many years.
In his petition, Alex told MPs that he thinks HS2 is a “stupid” idea which will cost more money than its supporters claim, and that people of his age-group will end up having to pay for it through their taxes.
Asked about what he thought of his famous surroundings in Westminster where he made history, Alex said: “It looks a lot like Hogwarts.”
Hogwarts is a fictional school of witchcraft and wizardry in the Harry Potter series of books.
Alex’s father, Joe Rukin – manager of the Stop HS2 Campaign – said: “As far as we can tell, Alex is the youngest person to have ever appeared in an official capacity before Parliament.
“This makes sense to me, as apart from the specific instance of Hybrid Bill committees, I can’t think of any case when someone that young would have the opportunity, apart from maybe Edward VI.”
