Saving up to £150million annually in franchise fees alone, clamping down on waste, delays, cancellations and confused ticketing will all benefit long-suffering passengers
Starting to restore train services to public ownership is an achievement this government should be proud of.
Labour’s landmark Bill receiving Royal Assent to become an Act is an historic moment, with South Western Railway, c2c and Greater Anglia the first companies to head back into public hands where they belong. Others will follow soon enough.
Saving up to £150million annually in franchise fees alone, clamping down on waste, delays, cancellations and confused ticketing will all benefit long-suffering passengers.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is making the announcement but it would be remiss not to applaud her predecessor, Louise Haigh, for driving the legislation through Parliament and for devising the plan. John Major and the Tories should never have privatised rail. Labour is righting that wrong.
Duties of care
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is right to put up taxes on companies and the wealthier to fund better public services.
The Conservatives, whose leader Kemi Badenoch refused to say she would reverse the national insurance rise on employers, would have put taxes up too. The difference is, they would also have slashed spending.
Reeves is also correct that firms will benefit from healthier workers when the NHS is fixed, and smarter employees once education is sorted. But it is also the case that axing a winter fuel allowance, worth up to £300 for 10 million elderly voters, remains an inexplicable own goal that muddies her message.
The Chancellor and Prime Minister Keir Starmer need to produce a vivid picture of the country they want to build, because too many people still don’t understand their vision.
It’s OK to rest
Pneumonia is an energy sapping illness at any age, so it’s no wonder Queen Camilla feels fatigued by it at 77. We hope Her Majesty returns to royal duties no sooner than her health allows.