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☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak scraps major high-speed rail link; plans to phase out smoking
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his headline speech at the close of the conference to reassert his authority and outline a number of new policies. Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMANCHESTER, ENGLAND — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a raft of new policies aimed at shoring up waning support for his Conservative Party ahead of next year's General Election. Sunak used the decision to position himself as the change candidate, saying that he would "fundamentally change" the country. "For the first time in the lifetime of this project, we will have cut costs," Sunak said. watch nowCritics on both sides of the political spectrum have accused the prime minister of stifling the countries' long-term prospects in the interests of short-term political gain.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mayor Andy Street, Andy Burnham, BBC Sunak Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images, Conservative Party, Conservative Party Conference, Westminster, West, Mayor, Conservatives, Labour, BBC Locations: Getty Images MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, Manchester, England, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, London

Its cost was estimated at 33 billion pounds in 2011, but has soared to more than 100 billion pounds ($122 billion) by some estimates. Sunak said Conservative lawmakers would be given a free vote in Parliament on the smoking ban. He used the speech to give party members and voters a glimpse of the man behind his technocratic exterior. Home Secretary Suella Braverman used her conference speech to appeal to the party’s authoritarian, law-and-order wing, advocating tougher curbs on migration and a war on human rights protections and “woke” social values. “I am confident we can win,” said Balwinder Dhillon, deputy mayor of the town of Slough, west of London.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, he's, ”, ” Sunak, Andy Burnham, ” “, Rain Newton, Smith, “, Margaret Thatcher —, Liz Truss, Akshata Murty, Suella Braverman, Balwinder Dhillon Organizations: Conservative Party, Labour Party, Leeds, Conservative, Manchester, of British Industry, Health, New, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, London Stock Exchange, Treasury, United, British Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Manchester, London, “, Birmingham, Midlands, North, Britain, Britain’s, New Zealand, Rwanda, United Kingdom, Slough

LONDON (AP) — The British government confirmed Sunday it may scrap a big chunk of an overdue and over-budget high-speed rail line once touted as a way to attract jobs and investment to northern England. The Conservative government insists no final decision has been made about the embattled High Speed 2 project. HS2 is the U.K.’s second high-speed rail line, after the HS1 route that links London and the Channel Tunnel connecting England to France. The government hailed it as a key plank in its plan to “level up” prosperity across the country. The government has also delayed work on bringing the line all the way to Euston station in central London.

Persons: Grant Shapps, ”, “, Shapps, Boris Johnson, ” Johnson, Andy Burnham, ” Burnham, Sadiq Khan, ” Khan, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Conservative, BBC, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Labour Party, Sky, London Locations: England, British, Birmingham –, London, Manchester, Ukraine, France, Birmingham

☆ Mural of Joy Division's Ian Curtis returns to Manchester
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Artist Akse P19 works on a mural of singer Ian Curtis of Joy Division in Manchester, Britain, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsMANCHESTER, England Sept 8 (Reuters) - The northern English city of Manchester welcomed back a mural of its late music icon Ian Curtis on Friday, newly restored after it had been painted over last year to outcry from local residents. Aitch said he had no control over the location of the Amazon Music billboards and was "fuming" at the decision to paper over the mural. The restoration of the mural precedes World Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday. Manchester's Joy Division produced two studio albums before Curtis' death but they cast a long shadow over British pop music.

Persons: Ian Curtis, Phil Noble, Curtis, Akse, Aitch, Andy Burnham, Manchester's, Andy Bruce Organizations: Joy Division, REUTERS, Rights, Star, Mental, Manchester, Amazon, Amazon Music, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, Rights MANCHESTER, England, English, British

☆ Battling Brexit, some British firms turn to invest in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

German data show British firms opened 170 foreign direct investment projects in Europe's biggest economy last year as companies sought a foothold in the bloc's single market. That's a far cry from the 50 enquiries from British firms - rather than projects committed - recorded by German Trade & Invest in 2015, the year before the Brexit referendum. Pro-Brexit economists say such data ignore the fact British corporate investment boomed in the years before mid-2016, and it was bound to slow. British firms are also waiting to hear how - or even if - London intends to compete with the enormous green energy and tech subsidies pitched by the United States and EU. At Farrat, the effects of Brexit are insidious, running beyond decisions over investments, said Farrell, describing a sense of unease felt towards British firms from potential foreign clients, worn down by years of political turmoil"People are nervous.

Persons: Brexit, Oliver Farrell, Andy Burnham, Burnham, it's, capitalising, Steve Connor, Connor, Jeremy Hunt, Farrell, Dave, Subrah Krishnan Harihara, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, David Clarke Organizations: European Union, Reuters, German Trade, Invest, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Reuters Graphics, Labour Party, EU, Creative Concern, European Commission, Manchester Chambers of Commerce, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Britain, Manchester, Germany, English, Europe's, Netherlands, France, United States, England's, London, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Farrat, EU, Warwick, West Midlands

☆ Pope Francis receives signed shirt from Man United's Martinez
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Pope Francis gestures as he attends the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneApril 20 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, a soccer fan like most Argentines, was all smiles when Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham presented him with a Manchester United shirt signed by his compatriot Lisandro Martinez during a visit to the Vatican on Thursday. Pope Francis, who was also presented with a Manchester City shirt, was given a signed Lionel Messi shirt by then French Prime Minister Jean Castex in 2021. World Cup winner Martinez suffered a foot injury last week and will miss the rest of the season. Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan's Daikin picks Manchester, UK as test bed for green tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The logos of Daikin Industries Ltd are seen at the company's office in Tokyo August 29, 2012. Demand for heat pumps - which rely on electricity to transfer heat - has been booming in Europe amid soaring natural gas prices, with consumers in many countries waiting months for heat pump installations. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the partnership with Daikin symbolised the city's industrial ambitions. Heat pumps, sometimes described as reverse air conditioners, use electricity to concentrate heat potential and are comparatively more energy efficient than gas boilers. Daikin, headquartered in Osaka, last year said it would build a heat pump factory in Poland as part of its expansion plans.

☆ Hong Kong protester assaulted at Chinese consulate in Britain
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — British police said Monday they were investigating the assault of a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester who was beaten up on the grounds of the Chinese consulate in the city of Manchester. The man, who is in his 30s, told the BBC that unidentified Chinese men from the consulate building dragged him inside the consulate and assaulted him during a protest Sunday. The protesters had gathered as the Chinese Communist Party opened its weeklong congress in Beijing. The Chinese consulate in Manchester did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The protesters had gathered as the Chinese Communist Party opened its weeklong congress in Beijing on Sunday.

"We are really a government in waiting and we have a chance to set out our ideas for the country. Labour is positioning itself as the party of fiscal responsibility and say it stands for "sound money". Almost half of voters say that Labour has not produced a clear set of policy ideas, according to polling from Savanta ComRes. In the most recent poll, Labour now has a six-point lead. But Curtis said the Conservatives still lead on the crucial question about who is best placed to make voters and the country wealthier.

Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during the tribute to Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Britain's Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 25, 2022. Starmer, who has led Britain's main opposition party for the past two years, said he would reintroduce the top rate of income tax to 45% after the government abolished the rate in a mini-budget. "I would reverse the decision they made," Labour leader Starmer said. However, Starmer said a Labour government would not reverse the government's decision to cut the basic rate of income tax to 19% from 20%, saying that tax cut would benefit working people. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, earlier said Labour should oppose all the tax moves outlined by the new government.

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