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Ouch! The knives are out in the Transport Select Committee, where the chair, , has just press-released a well-nigh unprecedented rebuke to the

She has publicly denied a claim - press released by Mr Baldry - that the committee is about to hold an inquiry into HS2, , which would cross through Mr Baldry's Banbury constituency. It is a huge constituency issue for all the MPs along the proposed route - and it looks as if opponents were keen to question the economics and priority of the scheme through a select committee inquiry.

But it seems Mr Baldry has jumped the gun - and the smack of firm chairpersonship resounds, despite the usual antiseptic prose of a committee statement:

"The Transport Committee has a long and informed interest in HS2 and has already taken evidence on this topic at various points during several recent inquires. As any member of the House should not fail to appreciate, a select committee is independent and takes it own decisions about when to hold an inquiry or whom to call for evidence. As I shall remind Mr Baldry, it cannot help the cause of any single interest group to make misleading claims about their ability to 'bounce' a select committee into addressing particular concerns."

The press release adds that Ms Ellman will be writing to Mr Baldry to make plain her views on his conduct. I'm sure this kind of thing happens all the time behind the scenes - but I've never seen the protagonists break cover to this extent. And I doubt we've heard the last of this...

UPDATE: a rather puzzled and wounded rejoinder from Tony Baldry: "HS2 is undoubtedly one of the most significant issues in the UK transport policy at the moment...and you make it clear that your committee has agreed to take oral evidence from HS2.

"No-one has suggested that you should scrutinise the proposed route, or make value judgements about the route. My suggestion to you was that it was perfectly proper for the select committee to consider the principle of HS2 and I think it is very difficult to see how the select committee can take oral evidence from HS2 without at the very least being willing to accept written evidence on the principle from those who believe that HS2 does not necessarily give good value for money. Otherwise, on what basis are you going to be able to test HS2's evidence? "

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