 The Conservative Party in opposition had backed the idea of a high-speed terminus at with a direct link to Heathrow Airport and had adopted a policy to connect London, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham with Heathrow by high-speed rail with construction starting in 2015.In March 2010, Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers had stated ""The idea that some kind of Wormwood Scrubs International station is the best rail solution for Heathrow is just not credible"".The new Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, asked Lord Mawhinney, a former Conservative Transport Secretary, to conduct an urgent review of the proposed route.