Gove planning shake-up: ‘We need housing today, not tomorrow’ July 24, 2023 Michael Gove will loosen planning laws to allow vacant shops to be converted into homes as part of his latest efforts to tackle the UK’s housing crisis. On Monday the minister for housing and levelling up revealed a slew of planning reforms as well as a further commitment to building over 1m new homes across [...]
‘Docklands 2.0’: Michael Gove outlines vision for new higher density London July 24, 2023 Michael Gove has outlined the government’s vision to create a “Docklands 2.0” in a key speech on housing policy, calling for higher density urban development. The housing and levelling up secretary cited the “ambitious approach” of Margaret Thatcher and Michael Heseltine and warned housing “inefficiency” is costing Britain’s productivity. It comes as the prime minister [...]
Sunak vows to meet one million new homes promise amid shortfall warnings July 24, 2023 Rishi Sunak has vowed his government will meet a Conservative manifesto pledge to build one million new homes before the end of this parliament. The Prime Minister made the promise ahead of a speech by housing and levelling up secretary Michael Gove on measures to slash red tape on loft conversions and extensions. It comes [...]
Starmer’s ULEZ meddling shows Labour still has a lot to learn July 24, 2023 Only the Labour Party could turn a night in which they overturned a 20,000 majority Tory seat in Yorkshire into an almighty row over a tax on fewer than 10 per cent of outer London’s cars. The Conservatives’ narrow victory in Uxbridge, which had at least something (but by no means all) to do with [...]
Relax some net zero measures, says Michael Gove July 23, 2023 Top Conservative minister Michael Gove has called for some net zero measures to be relaxed as he warned against green policies becoming a “religious crusade”. Gove’s intervention came in the wake of a Labour defeat in the Uxbridge by-election which saw the victorious Conservative MP Steve Tuckwell run a single-issue campaign opposing the ULEZ rollout. [...]
Sadiq Khan is open to tweaking ULEZ expansion – but won’t scrap it July 23, 2023 Sadiq Khan is prepared to review the expansion of the ULEZ policy, but remains committed to delivering it, Morning Wire understands. The London mayor has faced criticism after opposition to his plans to roll out the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) across the capital played into the Uxbridge by-election defeat. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer [...]
Brewdog boss: Rail strikes have cost firm £3.5m and are ‘killing UK businesses’ July 23, 2023 The boss of Brewdog has warned that rail strikes are “killing UK businesses” as he offered up the pub chain’s Waterloo venue as a location for “beer and sandwiches” negotiations. James Watt took to LinkedIn to warn that Brewdog has lost £3.5m to date due to industrial action, as he accused the government of not [...]
Bulgaria agrees to send heavy military equipment to Ukraine July 22, 2023 Bulgaria has agreed to provide the Ukrainian army with 100 armoured personnel carriers, marking a turnaround in the Nato member’s policy on sending military equipment to Kyiv following the appointment of a new, pro-Western government. Direct arms supplies were rejected by previous interim governments, appointed by President Rumen Radev. Radev is sympathetic to Russia and [...]
Labour must ‘learn lesson’ of Tories using ULEZ by-election attack July 22, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour must “learn the lesson” of seeing the ULEZ policy used against it following a narrow defeat in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election. The Labour leader said there was “something very wrong” when a policy was on “each and every Tory leaflet” following attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan’s [...]
Mick Lynch accuses government of prolonging rail strikes July 22, 2023 The leader of the biggest rail workers union has accused the government of prolonging the national dispute which led to fresh travel misery for passengers on Saturday. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said thousands of its members were solidly supporting the walkout, which disrupted services, with some areas having no trains all day. [...]