Category: News Story

STORY

Richard George has been appointed as the new Chair of Network Rail, with Sir Andrew Haines named as Chair of the Department for Transport Operator Limited (DFTO), as the government presses ahead with plans to establish Great British Railways. The Department for Transport said the appointments come at a “pivotal time” for the industry as legislation for rail reform moves through Parliament.

George, who is currently chair of DFTO, will take over at Network Rail, the body responsible for Britain’s rail infrastructure. The department said he brings 45 years’ experience in senior transport roles, including as Managing Director of Great Western Trains, HS1 Project Director for Eurostar and as an adviser to the department on rail performance and investment in the north of England.

Haines, formerly Network Rail’s chief executive from 2018 to 2025, will move into the chair role at DFTO, which is overseeing the transfer of passenger rail services into public ownership ahead of Great British Railways. He previously held senior posts including Managing Director of South West Trains and Managing Director of FirstGroup’s rail division.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the pair’s experience would help improve passenger experience and operational performance as the Government works towards integrating “track and train”. She also thanked outgoing Network Rail chair Mike Putnam, adding he will remain on the Network Rail board. Both appointments are due to take effect on 2 February 2026.

STORY

Government ministers are expected to commit to a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester, reviving plans for a direct Midlands-to-North West connection after the northern leg of HS2 was scrapped under the previous Conservative government.

The proposal, due to be set out as part of a wider package on Northern Powerhouse Rail, is not expected to begin until other major upgrades across the North of England are delivered. Figures familiar with the plans have indicated the Birmingham–Manchester route would follow later phases, meaning construction could still be over a decade away.

The move is politically significant because it marks the clearest attempt yet by the current government to replace the cancelled HS2 section north of Birmingham, which was dropped in 2023 amid rising costs and uncertainty over delivery. At the time, ministers argued the money would be redirected into smaller rail and road schemes, a claim that has remained contested by city leaders and transport campaigners.

STORY

Scandal-hit former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi is facing fresh alleged claims that he sought a peerage from the Conservative Party in the weeks before defecting to Reform UK, only to switch sides after failing to secure a seat in the House of Lords.

The allegations, attributed to Conservative sources in several reports, claim Zahawi made repeated approaches to senior party figures about being elevated to the Lords. Those accounts suggest his request was rebuffed, with Tory insiders citing the controversy that engulfed him during his time as party chair.

Sources close to Zahawi have pushed back on the narrative, disputing that he was “turned down” and suggesting the contact ran the other way, with Conservative figures still interested in his advice and involvement. Zahawi has not publicly confirmed any application for a peerage, and the precise nature of any conversations remains unclear.

Zahawi announced his move to Reform UK this week alongside Nigel Farage, presenting the defection as a political decision driven by the direction of the country and what he described as a need for change. His switch is being seized on by opponents as evidence of turbulence on the right, with both Conservatives and Labour framing the move as opportunistic.

STORY

The Government Legal Department has reinstated the Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list after a review found no evidence that the list itself had been used as a source of fraud. The list, which can help people identify estates they may be entitled to claim, had been taken down in July 2025 amid allegations of fraud within the wider probate system.

Officials said the review concluded the publication of the list was not driving fraudulent activity, but the Bona Vacantia Division will now publish less information as a precaution. Going forward, entries will display only the deceased person’s name, date of death, the area where they died and the division’s case reference number.

The department said requests for additional information will be handled in line with relevant statutory requirements, signalling a tighter approach to disclosure while keeping the list usable for legitimate family tracing and entitlement checks.

STORY

Former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has defected to Reform UK, giving Nigel Farage his highest-profile recruit so far and landing another blow on the Conservatives as they try to steady themselves after last year’s election.

Zahawi announced the defection today at a press conference in central London alongside Farage, casting the country’s direction in stark terms and arguing that Reform’s leadership team is now the best route to change. Zahawi said that he hadn’t been promised a role within Reform and had defected as he said that the “UK was sick.”

A former MP for Stratford-on-Avon, Zahawi rose quickly through ministerial ranks and became a prominent public figure during the pandemic as vaccines minister before serving briefly as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2022. He later became Conservative Party chair but was sacked in 2023 after an investigation found he had breached the ministerial code in relation to his tax affairs.

The defection is politically awkward for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, with Reform seeking to present itself as the natural home for disillusioned Tory voters and figures from the Johnson-era wing of the party. Farage, for his part, used Zahawi’s switch to reinforce the argument that Reform is broadening beyond a single-person vehicle and is increasingly able to attract established political names.

STORY

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held a significant call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on 8 January 2026 to coordinate the alliance’s response to escalating security challenges in the North Atlantic and the High North. The conversation followed a flurry of diplomatic activity, including the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting in Paris, and comes amid heightened tensions regarding regional territorial integrity and the future of Ukrainian security.

The two leaders began the discussion by paying tribute to British military personnel who have been engaged in critical operations in the North Atlantic and Syria over the recent days. These missions have been described as vital for protecting both UK national interests and wider Euro-Atlantic security against evolving threats.

A primary focus of the call was the increasingly contested High North region. Both the Prime Minister and Mr Rutte agreed that while NATO allies have successfully increased their presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, more robust action is required to deter Russian aggression in these waters. They welcomed ongoing strategic discussions on how the alliance can further protect the region from Russian maritime and hybrid threats, which have intensified throughout the winter months.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, the Secretary General provided an update on the morning’s North Atlantic Council meeting. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to securing a just and lasting end to the war, stressing that any potential peace settlement must be underpinned by strong security guarantees. This dialogue follows the Prime Minister’s recent political declaration alongside France and Ukraine concerning the deployment of deterrent forces and the establishment of military hubs to support Kyiv’s long-term defensive capabilities.

The call also touched upon the importance of maintaining a unified alliance posture following reports of American interest in Greenland. Sir Keir, who also spoke with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen today, reiterated the UK’s firm support for Danish sovereignty and the self-determination of the Greenlandic people.

STORY

The Labour Party has called for Reform UK to expel Chris Parry for comments that he made on social media. The party said in a statement:

“Nigel Farage should stop being so weak and throw Chris Parry out of Reform UK today.”

The row centres on comments made by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry, Reform UK’s candidate for the Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election. Parry apologised after Nigel Farage, the party leader, suggested that he should.

Referring to a post he had made about David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, being forced to “go home”, Parry said:

“It was a clumsy tweet, there’s no question about that.”

STORY

Renee Nicole Macklin Good, the 37-year-old shot dead by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, has become the centre of a fast-moving political storm as President Donald Trump defended the killing and officials offered sharply different accounts of what happened.

Good, a US citizen originally from Colorado, was driving with her partner after dropping her six-year-old son at school when she encountered ICE agents during an enforcement operation. Bystander video shows an officer approaching her car, trying to open the door and another officer firing multiple shots at close range as the vehicle begins to move.

The Trump administration has claimed Good tried to ram or run over an officer, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describing it as “domestic terrorism”. Trump echoed that narrative, saying she had violently run over an agent and that the officer appeared to have shot her in self-defence, effectively backing the use of lethal force before any independent findings were released.

But video footage circulating online does not show an officer being run over, instead appearing to show the driver reversing and pulling away as shots are fired, fuelling demands for an external investigation and intensifying criticism of the administration’s immigration crackdown.

STORY

Local councils in England are set to be handed new powers to crack down on pavement parking, with ministers ruling out a single national ban in favour of a locally led system that allows restrictions to be introduced area by area.

Publishing its long awaited response to a 2020 consultation, the Department for Transport said it wants pavements to be safer and more accessible, particularly for wheelchair users, blind and partially sighted people, older people and parents with pushchairs who can be forced into the road by blocked footways.

Under the plans, local transport authorities would be enabled “at the next legislative opportunity” to prohibit pavement parking across their areas, with powers sitting with strategic authorities in areas that have them outside London. In the meantime, ministers say they will enable councils to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, aiming to make it easier to act where problems are worst without requiring lengthy street by street legal processes.

The consultation, which drew more than 15,000 responses, found strong support for action, with 81% of individuals and 96% of organisations saying pavement parking was a problem in their area. Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said the approach is intended to balance safety and accessibility with local parking realities, with exemptions possible where authorities judge them necessary.

STORY

Reform UK has selected Westminster City councillor Laila Cunningham as its candidate for the next London mayoral election, due to be held in 2028. Party leader Nigel Farage announced the decision at a press conference in the capital, where Cunningham appeared alongside to set out her priorities for the campaign.

Cunningham, who represents Lancaster Gate on Westminster City Council, has previously worked as a prosecutor and joined Reform after leaving the Conservative Party. Reform said she will also play a prominent role in the party’s London-wide local election campaigning this year.

In remarks during the launch, Cunningham focused heavily on public safety, arguing that crime should be tackled more aggressively in the capital and criticising Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s record. Farage echoed those themes, presenting Cunningham as a candidate who would prioritise policing and enforcement.

Labour said in a statement:

“Cunningham has made a habit of talking London down, repeatedly portraying our city as broken while opposing the multiculturalism that makes it the best city in the world.”