‘Done the unthinkable’: HS2 northern leg scrapped, Rishi Sunak confirms in Tory conference speech October 4, 2023 The northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester has been scrapped, Rishi Sunak has announced. The Prime Minister confirmed the decision to axe the route as he made his keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today. Sunak said: “I am ending this long running saga. I am cancelling the rest of [...]
Rishi Sunak refuses to say if HS2 to Manchester is being scrapped – six times October 3, 2023 Rishi Sunak has refused to confirm whether HS2 to Manchester is being scrapped six times while being grilled in a live interview. The Prime Minister insisted to BBC Breakfast he had “absolutely not” given up on the multi-billion pound rail scheme which has dominated the Conservative Party Conference. “We’ve got spades on the ground on [...]
Pay boost for 2m workers as Hunt to confirm living wage rises to £11 an hour October 2, 2023 Workers could see their pay packets feel heavier as Jeremy Hunt is set to announce a rise in the national living wage to at least £11 an hour.
Sunak looks to control HS2 costs as backlash grows against plan to cut back project September 26, 2023 Rishi Sunak is reportedly aiming to control the spiralling cost of the HS2 railway line project, which could reach over £100bn.
Scrapping HS2 risks wrecking future UK infrastructure, top Tories warn Sunak September 25, 2023 The government risks wrecking the UK’s future infrastructure projects if it goes ahead with “in effect scrapping” the HS2 railway line. Former Chancellor George Osborne and Tory grandee Lord Heseltine have warned Rishi Sunak that failing to complete HS2 would be “an act of huge economic self-harm”. It follows widespread reports the government is considering [...]
Government would be ‘crazy’ not to reconsider HS2 costs, minister says September 24, 2023 The government would be “crazy” not to reconsider the costs of the HS2 rail project, Grant Shapps has told the BBC. Shapps said Rishi Sunak was prepared to take “difficult long-term decisions” amid reports the Prime Minister is set to axe the northern leg of HS2. The defence secretary told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura [...]
Former Tory PMs hit back at ‘desperate’ move to ditch HS2 to Manchester September 23, 2023 Former premiers have warned Rishi Sunak about “delivering a mutilated HS2” after his Conservative Government refused to deny it was considering axing the Manchester leg. Boris Johnson said suggestions the Birmingham to Manchester route could be chopped over cost concerns were “desperate” and “Treasury-driven nonsense” as he urged the Prime Minister to deliver on the [...]
Urgent reform needed to restore trust in UK constitution, warn think tanks September 19, 2023 An urgent reset is required in order to restore trust in the UK’s constitution, two top think tanks have warned. Faith in Britain’s political system has been shaken after a “tumultuous” string of events — from the Brexit process, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis — a report by the Institute for [...]
Murdoch executives ‘told Sunak not to resign’ after partygate fine September 16, 2023 Rishi Sunak was persuaded not to quit as chancellor over his fine for breaking lockdown laws after an intervention by media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s executives, it has been claimed. The claim is detailed in a new book by the Telegraph’s political editor and published by the newspaper on Friday. It is the latest report to [...]
UK ‘flying blind’ on soaring levels of fraud which has quadrupled since pandemic September 8, 2023 The government is “flying blind” on its exposure to fraud, which has quadrupled since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, MPs have said. The cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also said that while most of the £21bn of taxpayers’ money lost to fraud during the pandemic is unlikely to be recovered, the government should be [...]