By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter Boris having a dig, even just a friendly dig, at the Tory leadership? We’ve seen that a thousand times. But the Tory leadership having a dig at Boris? That’s a rarer species altogether, so it’s worth pasting into our collective scrapbook. Here, as recorded in today’s Times (£), is what […]
3,000 miles of motorway do not have street lighting. Some, including the Sunday Telegraph and The Mirror, have presented this as news. The Mirror talked about them being "plunged into darkness." But 3,000 miles of motorway and trunk roads have never had street lighting. The news is that an extra 98 miles are to be […]
Next year sees an important expansion of Boris Bikes in the capital. Docking Stations for them will appear across Wandsworth, and in my borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. There will also be more of them in Lambeth and in Kensington and Chelsea. My borough has already had an early start with some Boris Bikes available […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Boris Johnson has lobbed another grenade at the Government this afternoon, in a speech to aviation experts at City Hall. The Mayor criticised the Government's Heathrow plans (as if Patrick McLoughlin wasn't dealing with enough at the moment) as being "lamentable" and setting Britain on a course for "economic catastrophe". A […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter This morning's Times is estimating (£) that the rail franchise fiasco may end up costing £300 million. As Pete reported yesterday errors by civil servants forced the new Transport Secretary into a "calamitous" climb down. It seems that auditors from PriceWaterhouseCoopers were called in by Justine Greening one week […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter The word “shambles”, particularly with the prefix “omni-” in front of it, has been overused recently. But it’s the word that most readily applies to today’s news that the government is to scrap the deal awarding the West Coast Main Line franchise to Firstgroup. And the reason why? In the […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Until the reshuffle, Patrick McLoughlin had been a whip for 15 years, serving six leaders, and two Prime Ministers – which explains why his media appearances have been few and far between. In his first big interview since being appointed Secretary of State for Transport, Mr McLoughlin has denied […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The issue of a third runway at London Heathrow is not just an issue of growth policy, it's about the PM's honour and credibility. Opposition to a third runway wasn't buried in the small print of the Tory manifesto. It was very clear we wouldn't build one. Cameron himself […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter George Osborne wanted to move Iain Duncan Smith from Work and Pensions, and failed. Ken Clarke was moved to take up a roving economic brief, thus gaining a licence to meddle in the Chancellor's affairs. The reshuffle even brought some distressing family news: Lord Howell, Mr Osborne's father in […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Tim Yeo, Chairman of the Climate Change Select Committee, once a Heathrow third runway opponent but now a Heathrow third runway supporter, has written a piece in the Daily Telegraph today about his view. In a sentence, it is that the new EU cap on emissions should end environmental […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter I don't primarily see aircraft as sources of pollution or noisy machines. I see them as our connection to overseas markets and overseas markets' connection to us. I also see them as the route to a guaranteed sunshiney holiday for a tired out family, yearning for a break. I […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Update 1.15pm Adding to the sense of Tory discontent with the Government's rail fare increases, Priti Patel MP said on Sky News today that she wants Ministers to "do more" to help the situation: "Our commuters are paying a lot of money to commute to work and they’re getting […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Over the last 24 to 48 hours news about railway fares and franchises has seemed gloomy. We've had passenger protests at stations and Richard Branson forecasting doom and gloom after his Virgin Trains outfit lost the west coast contract. In reality the railways could be a good big picture story […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Cameron holds but doesn't wear his helmet Cycle safety might be about to become a political hot potato. Hours after Bradley Wiggins became the most medalled* Olympian in British history a less celebrated cyclist was killed when they went underneath the wheels of a shuttle bus, apparently transporting athletes from […]
Many conversations in the back of cabs are not only private but intimate. Often a decision to take a cab is prompted by being the worse for wear. Yet astonishingly in some places these conversations are recorded. The Information Commissioner Christoper Graham has ordered Labour-run Southamton City Council to end the requirement of the taxi […]