Government ‘will not hesitate’ to ensure retailers give drivers fair fuel prices PRICES AT THE PUMPS Fuel retailers have been threatened with state intervention over prices by the business secretary, who urged companies “to take any steps necessary” to ensure affordable prices for drivers. In a letter to retailers on Thursday, Grant Shapps said the government “will not hesitate to act to ensure competition is healthy and consumers get a fair [...]
Shapps ends flagship small business digital support scheme Westminster Grant Shapps has pulled the plug on the ‘Help to Grow: Digital programme’ following lacklustre participation and rising costs, sparking a backlash from industry bodies. In a statement on Thursday, Shapps who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said Government “cannot justify the continued cost” of the “Digital” [...]
Shapps’ shale shutdown: Fracking group ‘frustrated and disappointed’ by U-turn on moratorium shale shutdown A fracking advocacy group has said it is “deeply frustrated and disappointed” by a government U-turn reintroducing the moratorium for the practice. Grant Shapps confirmed to Parliament this week the UK would “not support shale extraction” unless science can show “categorically that it can be done safely”. The U-turn on Liz Truss’ decision to lift [...]
Bus fares to be capped at £2 this winter in England September 3, 2022 Bus journeys are to be capped at £2 for a temporary period next year as a government measure to tackle the cost of living crisis. A cap will be introduced in England from January to March next year, as households face soaring energy bills this winter. The Department for Transport (DfT) said its £60m scheme [...]
UK pledges to share expertise and help Ukraine rebuild transport network August 25, 2022 The UK Government has pledged to help Ukraine rebuild its war-damaged transport network, sharing private sector expertise. The news comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an impromptu visit to Kyiv. The agreement was signed by transport secretary Grant Shapps and its Ukrainian counterpart Oleksandr Kubrakov today, a day after the country’s Independence [...]
Crossrail bosses to advise Israel on building £33bn Tel Aviv metro August 24, 2022 Bosses of Crossrail are to advise on a new state-of-the-art £33bn metro system for the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Transport secretary Grant Shapps is in Israel this week and has met his counterpart, agreeing the deal as part of a post-Brexit memorandum of understanding signed earlier in the summer. This comes after the completion [...]
As UK faces three days of crippling train strikes Grant Shapps reveals 16-point plan August 18, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has unveiled a 16-point plan in a bid to tackle ‘Luddite’ unions, as industrial action brings the UK to a standstill. The announcement comes as 40,000 rail workers in the RMT and TSSA unions walk out on Thursday bringing much of the UK rail network to a grinding halt. A second [...]
Tory leadership: Shapps and Raab back Rishi Sunak to be next PM July 12, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps and deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab have backed Rishi Sunak to be the next Tory party leader, with the former chancellor today vowing “a return to traditional conservative economic values” if he becomes Prime Minister. Shapps’ endorsement comes after he decided to call off his faltering campaign and throw his lot [...]
Transport secretary Grant Shapps launches Tory leadership bid July 9, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has launched his bid for the Tory leadership. “It is easy to criticise Boris after keeping one’s head down for years while being happy to benefit from his patronage,” he told the Sunday Times. “I am glad that I did not do that. “I have not spent the last few turbulent [...]
Government modernising railways despite ‘unions’ best efforts’, says Shapps June 29, 2022 The UK Government is modernising the railway network “despite the best efforts of unions,” Grant Shapps said today. The transport secretary’s comments came as he announced £1bn worth of funding to replace the Victorian signalling system along the East Coast Main Line (ECML) – which connects London to Edinburgh – with a digital one. “We’re [...]