Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Critics question ‘level-up’ commitment as UK scales back high-speed rail plan

Critics question ‘level-up’ commitment as UK scales back high-speed rail plan

BRITAIN ditched plans to link London and the northern city of Leeds as part of a new high-speed rail network, drawing accusations that prime minister Boris Johnson was going back on a promise to fix regional prosperity gaps.

The £96-billion project, known as High-Speed 2 or HS2, has been touted since 2009 as a key way to link the prosperous southeast with cities in the Midlands and the north of England.


However, despite Johnson committing in February last year to complete the Y-shaped railway, transport minister Grant Shapps announced a new plan on Thursday (18) which cut one arm of the line short, and instead upgraded parts of the existing network.

He said the new configuration would be delivered sooner and be more effective at cutting journey times elsewhere.

Speaking in parliament, he said it was "the largest single rail investment ever made by a UK government - an investment that, rather than being felt decades into the future, will arrive much much sooner".

However, the opposition Labour Party said the change was proof that Johnson's government was reneging on a promise to "level up" regional disparities. That promise was the basis of Johnson's 2019 election campaign, in which he won over many traditionally Labour-voting areas of northern England.

"Leeds and the north have been betrayed," said Labour lawmaker Hilary Benn, who represents a constituency in Leeds.

High-speed lines would be built from London to Manchester, 35 miles to the west of Leeds, but the leg originally planned to link with Leeds would stop short at Nottingham. Lines between Leeds and Manchester would now also be upgraded, Shapps said.

(Reuters)

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Bond yields ease following Starmer’s support for Reeves

THE COST of UK government borrowing fell on Thursday, partially reversing the rise seen after Chancellor Rachel Reeves became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The yield on 10-year government bonds dropped to 4.55 per cent, down from 4.61 per cent the previous day. The pound also recovered slightly to $1.3668 (around £1.00), though it did not regain all its earlier losses.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less