Tag: News Story

STORY

Sir John Armitt, the Government’s Big Projects adviser, has warned that Rishi Sunak’s plan to sell off HS2 assets to prevent a future Government restarting the project would be a “mistake”. Sunak, who scrapped the major rail infra-structure project to pursue a more pro-road strategy in the overall transport plan, had intended for land acquired for the second phase of HS2 to be sold off immediately.

Sir John said:

“I think it’s a mistake. I think that the land should be kept for at least two or three years to give the opportunity for people to revisit that and look at what can be done within that space and find a more cost-effective solution, not write it off today I am disappointed because I think it’s what we often describe as a sort of knee-jerk, snap reaction.”

He added:

“We had an integrated plan a few weeks ago, we’ve now lost that. There are a number of projects, some of which already existed, some new ones. Let’s get those properly turned into a well-thought-through, integrated plan for the future”.

STORY

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) has recommended that Conservative MP Peter Bone be suspended from the House of Commons for six weeks over allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct against a Parliamentary staff member. The IEP found that Mr Bone had committed “many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a member of his staff between 2012 and 2013. The press notice issued by the IEP stated:

“This is a serious case of misconduct. The bullying involved violence, shouting and swearing, mocking, belittling and humiliating behaviour, and ostracism. This wilful pattern of bullying also included an unwanted incident of sexual misconduct, when the complainant was trapped in a room with the respondent in a hotel in Madrid. This was a deliberate and conscious abuse of power using a sexual mechanism: indecent exposure.”

Bone has strongly denied the allegations made against him, but the IEP found that the complainant’s evidence was “credible and reliable”. Given the severity of the allegations made against Bone, the suspension is serious enough to trigger the Recall of MPs Act 2015. This means that if 10% or more of the electorate in Bone’s constituency sign a recall petition within the defined six weeks period then his seat will be declared vacant and a by-election will be held.

The IEP’s report found that Bone had subjected the complainant to a “prolonged campaign of bullying and intimidation”. It also found that he had exposed himself to the complainant on one occasion, adding that Bone’s behaviour had “a devastating impact” on the complainant. Bone said that he was “deeply disappointed” with the report and said that he would be appealing the suspension.

RESOURCES

Peter Bone

Findings of the IEP

EXTERNAL LINKS

IEP

STORY

Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, has said that a Labour Government would reverse the Conservative Government’s decision to downgrade the police response to shoplifting. The announcement comes after a number of large companies have warned of a rise in shoplifting, which John Lewis called “an epidemic”. Starmer said:

“We’ll reverse the Tories’ decision to downgrade the response to shoplifting under £200, making it easier to take action against repeat offenders and ending the farce of offending impunity, and creating a new specific offence of assault against retail workers.”

RESOURCES

Press Release

Keir Starmer’s 2023 Conference Speech

STORY

The Labour Party have secured a large by-election victory in the constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West in what Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said had “blown the doors off”. The party’s candidate Michael Shanks won with a majority of 17,845 votes, a swing from the SNP to Labour of 20.4%. The by-election had been called after the SNP MP Margaret Ferrier had been subject to a recall petition following a breach of COVID rules. Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, said that he took responsibility for the loss, but said that he didn’t intend to change the party’s aim for independence.

RESOURCES

Margaret Ferrier Loses Seat

Margaret Ferrier Suspended from Commons

Rutherglen and Hamilton West Constituency

STORY

In a major blow to the North of England, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the HS2 high-speed rail link to Manchester will be scrapped. The decision comes after months of speculation and follows warnings that the project was becoming increasingly expensive and delayed. In a speech to the Conservative Party conference, Sunak said that the Government had decided to “reprioritise” its investment in transport infrastructure, and that the £36 billion saved from scrapping the northern leg of HS2 would be used to fund a series of smaller projects across the country. The cut in investment to the North was widely criticised, with former Conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron suggesting that the move was a mistake. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, said that it was treating residents of Manchester and the North as “second class citizens”.

The decision has been met with widespread anger from politicians and business leaders in the North, who argue that it will further damage the region’s economy and make it more difficult to attract investment. However, the Government has defended its decision, arguing that HS2 is no longer the best way to improve transport links between the North and South of England. The Prime Minister said that the Government would instead focus on investing in existing rail lines and roads, and that this would provide better value for money for taxpayers.

The scrapping of the HS2 link to Manchester is a major setback for the project, which has already been plagued by delays and cost overruns. The first phase of HS2, which will connect London to Birmingham, is due to open in 2029, but the second phase, which would have connected Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, was due to open in 2033. It remains to be seen how the Government will replace the HS2 link and whether it will be able to deliver on its promises to invest in other transport projects in the North.

STORY

Dale Houghton, a 31 year old football ‘supporter’, has admitted a public order offence at Sheffield magistrates court after he mocked Bradley Lowery, a boy who died at the age of 6. James Gould, the District Judge, said that Houghton’s mocking of the late Lowery was “utterly deplorable” and he said that prison remained an option. Houghton, who was immediately condemned by Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland football clubs, was bailed and will be sentenced on 17 November. Police confirmed that they have applied for a football banning order for Dale Houghton.

Gemma Lowery, the mother of Bradley, said in a statement:

“Understandably people are angry, if I wasn’t so upset I’d be angry too. Bradley was and still is well loved in the football community, which I’m eternally grateful for, but I must ask that everyone lets the police do their job.”

STORY

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has said that the National Living Wage will rise to at least £11 next year. In a press release issued before the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester, Hunt is expected to say that:

“At the moment it is £10.42 and hour and we are waiting for the Low Pay Commission to confirm its recommendation for next year. But I confirm today, whatever that recommendation, we will increase it next year to at least £11 an hour. A pay rise for over 2 million workers.”

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Low Pay Commission

STORY

Mark Harper, the Secretary of State for Transport, has said that he is unable to make any comment on the future of HS2, despite Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, having raised the suggestion that it could be cut back. Harper said in a statement:

“If the government has anything to say, we’ll say that in the usual way, in due course.”

Theresa May, the former Prime Minister, joined in with other former Conservative leaders David Cameron and Boris Johnson, in warning against any cuts to HS2. She said:

“We have to think about why HS2 was designed in the first place. It was because there was a lack of capacity on the west coast mainline. So if there is a lack of capacity on the west coast mainline, we need more railway capacity to serve the north-west.”

She added:

“If HS2 stops at Old Oak Common, it is going to make our railway journeys into London longer and disrupted potentially over the period that Old Oak Common’s building is being done to enable it to take that end point. So I am arguing with government: ‘Don’t stop at Old Oak Common. You need to take it into Euston because my constituents will be disadvantaged if you don’t.”

RESOURCES

Government Hints at HS2 Cut-Backs for Affordability Reasons

STORY

GB News have confirmed that they have suspended their presenter Calvin Robinson as controversy grows about the comments made by Laurence Fox earlier in the week. GB News presenter Nana Akua distanced herself from Fox, stating that he made “a misogynistic, nonsense comment” and Angelos Frangopoulos, the Chief Executive of GB News, said that Fox’s comments were “appalling”. Dan Wootton, the GB News presenter, was also suspended for his response to the comments made by Fox, with Calvin Robinson being suspended for his comments on the matter.

Fox and Wootton have apologised for their behaviour and an investigation will take place on all three presenters to decide on what further action might be taken. Laurence Fox suggested that he expected that both himself and Dan Wootton would be expelled from GB News.

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

GB News

NEWS STORY

James Cracknell, the former Olympic rower, has been selected as the Conservative prospective Parliamentary candidate for Colchester. Will Quince, the current Conservative MP, has represented the constituency since 2015 and is standing down at the election. At the 2019 General Election, Quince secured a 9,423 majority over the Labour candidate Tina McKay. The constituency had been held by the Liberal Democrats between 1990 and 2015, having previously been won by the Conservative Party.

RESOURCES

Will Quince

Colchester Constituency