A punishment beating for Greater Manchester

A new qualification offering young people an alternative route to university without debt will be launched in Greater Manchester in September next year, the Mayor has confirmed.

Commuters in Greater Manchester could soon be able to bring bikes on trams after Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced it is looking "very seriously" at launching a trial in the region.

It has been two months since the Bee Network was launched across Greater Manchester, and it is clear there are more changes than just the colour of the buses.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson fought back tears as he recalled his time in hospital with Covid-19. He also dismissed accusations that he was indifferent to the country's suffering during the crisis.

Robert Jenrick has said in a letter to the Prime Minister that he had to resign as immigration minister because he has “such strong disagreements with the direction of the Government’s policy on immigration”. The Newark, Nottinghamshire MP had been pushing for the UK to reject some European human rights laws to facilitate the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has tonight (Wednesday) resigned after a row over sending immigrants to Rwanda. The Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed to the House of Commons this evening that Mr Jenrick has left the Government.

Plans to move the English National Opera (ENO) to the North of England have been warmly welcomed in Greater Manchester which will become the 'main home' for the cultural institution. But the news, which was announced on Tuesday (December 5), was met with some strange responses from the rest of the country on social media - including from some angry Londoners.

Inspectors have praised how effectively Manchester council, GMP, schools and the NHS work together to protect young people from serious violence and criminal exploitation. The inspection by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation was carried out over five days in October.

Another weather warning has been issued for parts of Greater Manchester as the cold snap continues in the north of England. Met Office forecasters have warned up to 15cm of snow could fall on higher ground overnight.

Even to its many critics, the turnaround of Greater Manchester Police has been remarkable since the dark days of December 2020 when years of shocking failure ended in the sacking of the then chief constable Ian Hopkins.

Landowners on a scrapped HS2 route have been left feeling 'suicidal' due to the lack of action by the Government-owned company responsible for building the high-speed railway, MPs have been told.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock defended his record as he became the latest high-profile figure to give evidence to the official Covid-19 inquiry on Thursday. Among the revelations, the ex Cabinet minister accused No 10 aide Dominic Cummings of creating a “culture of fear” in government that undermined the pandemic response.

Rishi Sunak has refuted claims that he said it was "OK" to let people die from coronavirus. The allegations surfaced from a diary entry by Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Government's chief scientific adviser during the pandemic, which was shared with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

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NME following the city’s inaugural Beyond the Music conference about how he hopes it will “galvanise” the music industry as issues affecting the industry fall on “deaf ears” at Westminster.Last month’s Beyond the Music explored multiple crises the music industry is currently facing, such as the future of grassroots venues and the continuing impact of Brexit on UK musicians struggling to tour Europe.On the latter, Burnham said “it’s just wrong” that the careers of young musicians are still suffering as they continue to face difficulties touring Europe post-Brexit.At the conference in October, Burnham discussed the “ridiculous” Brexit rules for artists travelling around Europe. Back in 2021, the UK music industry spoke out on how they had essentially been handed a “No Deal Brexit” when the government failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew.Despite trying to raise these issues with ministers, Burnham told NME it’s still falling on “deaf ears” as the government continues to ignore the chaos Brexit has caused as artists struggle to navigate “all kinds of hidden obstacles” to performing in Europe.“It’s so frustrating, particularly given that Europe offered a better arrangement and in the rhetoric of Brexit, it got turned down,” he explained, referring to Boris Johnson’s rejection of a deal for artists proposed by Europe.

Andy Burnham is set to give evidence at the Covid inquiry in London today (November 27). The Greater Manchester mayor is expected to appear at the public hearing where he will have a chance to share his views on how the government handled the Covid pandemic.

Andy Burnham says Everton's 10-point penalty should be declared 'null and void' in a formal complaint to Premier League bosses. The Greater Manchester mayor has written to the chair of the Premier League about the process that led to the 'harsh' points deduction.

Three major food delivery companies have agreed to work with Andy Burnham to tackle safety concerns. But the Greater Manchester mayor has warned Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat that if safety does not improve enough, the authorities will look at taking action.

Jeremy Hunt didn't mention it in his 52-minute speech in Parliament on Wednesday (November 22), but buried deep in the 120-page autumn statement, a fundamental change with big implications for Greater Manchester was confirmed. The city-region struck a deal with the government earlier this year which means that more power over transport, housing and skills would be given to local leaders.

An inquiry into the treatment of women and girls who have been arrested and taken into police custody in Greater Manchester will report its findings in the new year. The inquiry by former national victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird KC was launched by mayor Andy Burnham and his deputy in August following a Sky News investigation into the experiences of three women in custody at GMP.