Announced as part of the HS2 update by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in the Commons:
DfT says two thirds of the increase is “due to works being missed from the scope of the original project plan, underestimation by previous Governments, inefficient delivery – and the remaining third due to inflation.” It adds “the change in speed could deliver savings of up to £2.5bn and at least a year in delivery time, so communities can start to benefit sooner.” A train wreck…
Burnham confirms he spoke to Trump last night about drilling in the North Sea:
“I indicated in the phone call that we had a week last Monday that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward from here. There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can’t ignore that. Hence, me indicating that to the president…”