Fight against HS2 to continue as Jill Seymour keeps Ukip transport post

Mrs Seymour, from Wellington, retained her post in the reshuffle which followed Paul Nuttall's victory in the leadership election earlier this week.

Fellow Euro MP for the West Midlands Bill Etheridge was appointed defence spokesman, while fellow Salopian Suzanne Evans – who was defeated by Mr Nutall when the leadership results were announced on Monday – has been appointed party deputy chairman.

Mrs Seymour said she would continue to work tirelessly in drawing people's attention to projects which taxpayers either didn't need or couldn't afford.

She highlighted the proposed high-speed rail link from London to Leeds and Manchester, via Birmingham, as being at the top of that list and falling into both categories.

"It doesn't have a solid business case, and is costing tens of billions of pounds that we don't have," said Mrs Seymour.

"I will continue to lead Ukip's fight against this vanity project – it will benefit a tiny minority, but will be paid for by the majority. It's not too late to come to our senses, and scrap it.

"I will also campaign for solutions to our over-congested highways – questioning the need for the growth of managed motorways, and over-the-top CCTV and camera intrusion.

"I want to help stimulate growth at UK airports. All the talk recently has been about Heathrow but we need to be looking much wider. We have some excellent airports around the UK that we need to support.

"I'm very concerned that villages around Heathrow will be decimated for the sake of future growth of the airport, when there is existing capacity for much of this expansion at other sites."

Mrs Seymour said she believed the UK transport infrastructure was in need of significant financial input, and restructuring. "Commuters should not be expected to endure day after day of overcrowded trains, timetable disruptions, and inflation-busting ticket price rises," she said.

"We must make sure that out transport network is properly accessible to those with disabilities, and mobility problems."

She added that she did not wish to see Britain's countryside and nature reserves ripped apart and covered in concrete to save a bit of time and make money.

Mr Nuttall said Mrs Seymour's arguments against HS2 and concerns over "managed motorways" had now become part of mainstream debate.