‘Successful delivery’ of HS2 ‘appears to be unachievable’ says IPA

A leaked government report has put the multi-billion HS2 project into fresh doubt. The official watchdog for the high-speed railway – the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) – has warned the “successful delivery” of the project “appears to be unachievable”, according to a report by the Telegraph. Construction journal Building reported earlier this week that […]

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‘Jurassic’ MP provokes Tory fury in sleaze row; Red Wall MP’s backlash as HS2-Leeds link scrapped

A veteran Conservative MP has provoked his party’s fury by blocking the report at the heart of the sleaze row that has engulfed the Tories. Further dismay within party ranks has come with reports that Grant Shapps the transport secretary will announce this week that the HS2 “eastern spur” linking Leeds and Birmingham will be […]

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NAO report on government’s £18bn Covid contracts; Starmer v Corbyn; and the PM’s green plan for UK

The highly critical National Audit Office report into the government’s awarding of £18 billion in procurement deals has been overshadowed by infighting in the Labour party and the prime minister’s green plan for the UK. The parliamentary watchdog made a number of startling findings including a lack of transparency, failures to explain why certain suppliers […]

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£106bn HS2 gets ‘green signal’ – PM promises £5bn for buses and bikes

The prime minister has given England’s controversial high speed rail link the “green signal” despite widespread concerns from environmentalists and politicians about the £106 billion HS2 project. Boris Johnson told the House of Commons he is committed to the two sections of the project that will link Birmingham with London, Manchester and Leeds, and announced […]

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‘Victory for passengers’ as Northern rail renationalised; Javid gives HS2 boost

The mayors of Manchester and Liverpool have hailed the government’s decision to renationalise the failing Northern rail franchise as a “victory for passengers” while calling for major investment to fix the north’s railways. HS2 is a major element of this outlay and backers of the high-speed rail project have been boosted with reports that Chancellor […]

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