Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could be preparing to return back to the UK, according to a former royal butler.
11.05.2023 - 17:31 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Politicians, unions and, most importantly, long-suffering passengers had their say today after much-criticised train operating company TransPennine Express was brought under Government control.
After months of speculation following many more months of delays and cancellations impacting on frustrated commuters across Greater Manchester and the city region, Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced on Thursday train services run by TPE would be nationalised as operator Northern was in 2020.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said TPE services would be brought under its Operator of Last Resort from May 28.
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Graham Sutherland, chief executive of TransPennine Express' owners, FirstGroup, insisted the company has 'worked extremely hard to improve services', but Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said ministers had 'finally accepted they can no longer defend the indefensible'.
An independent watchdog for transport users, meanwhile, said simply passengers had 'endured an unacceptable service for too long'.
The announcement stripping TPE of its contract - which has long been called for in Greater Manchester - will mean that by the termination date, nearly one in four passenger journeys on Britain's railways will be on nationalised services. The Government's Operator of Last Resort already controls London North Eastern Railway, Northern and Southeastern services. ScotRail and Transport for Wales are run by the Scottish and Welsh governments, respectively.
More than 20 trains were cancelled by TPE on Thursday - a fraction compared to the chaos of months gone by.
Office of Rail and Road data showed that in March TPE cancelled the equivalent of one
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could be preparing to return back to the UK, according to a former royal butler.
Last weekend was a huge one for the blue half of the city. There will have been plenty of sore heads on Monday morning after Manchester City celebrated winning their third Premier League title in a row. It is a feat only matched by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the modern era.
Ricky Gervais and Sharon Horgan’s agent has said creatives should “be careful what they wish for” when considering whether to launch production companies.
Siouxsie Sioux has performed Siouxsie And The Banshees‘ song ‘Israel’ for the first time in a decade – watch the footage below.The iconic singer-songwriter – who previously fronted the aforementioned punk band – recently returned to the stage for her first solo show in 10 years. Following a run of dates in Europe, Sioux was set to play her first US set in 15 years at Cruel World Fest 2023 last Saturday (May 20).But organisers were forced to cancel that headline slot after severe weather hit the event, which was taking place at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.Both Sioux and Iggy Pop (who was also on the bill) then returned to the site on Sunday (May 21) to perform that night instead.
, the royal decided to move to California, in part, because in stepping back from royal duties, he could not count on police protection while in the UK. In the US, however, he can pay for security…and that security can be armed.Today, a London court decided that if he chooses to visit the land of his birth, Harry can't have police protection, even if he were to pay for it out of pocket.
late singer’s wardrobe hit the auction block on Friday and can be bid on online until June 18.The highlight of the lot, which contains 45 pieces of Petty’s prized possessions, is the black-and-white striped satin jacket he donned on the cover of the UK single for his 1978 hit, “Listen to Her Heart.”“For people my age, that’s Tom Petty, you know,” Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of Boston-based RR Auction, which is hosting the sale, told The Post.“Because of people’s love and emotional connection to Tom, I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes somewhere in the mid-five figures.”The eclectic clothing collection is from Petty’s Encino, California, home, which Chase Bank took possession of in 2015.“When he divorced his first wife [Jane Benyo], she got the house and then she defaulted on the mortgage, so the bank took possession of the home and its contents and these were all disposed of by the bank,” explained Livingston. Other articles for sale belonging to the “Free Fallin'” rocker, who died in 2017 at age 66 from an accidental overdose, include the black denim jacket he sported on tour with Guns N’ Roses in 1987 and during a 1989 MTV Video Music Awards performance with Axl Rose.He also had a penchant for wearing hats, and many of them, including a Burmese cap adorned with yellow flowers and two elephants, are included in the assortment.
A pretty penny. The British government has revealed the total cost of executing Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.
A £3.6m plan aims to help youngsters who cannot attend mainstream schools in Salford. Broadwalk Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) provides education and support for secondary school-age pupils who struggle to cope in mainstream schools and have been permanently excluded.
Ed Sheeran, Adele and Harry Styles are among the UK’s wealthiest people under the age of 35, according to the 2023 Sunday Times 35 under 35 Rich List. All three musicians were listed as having wealth higher than £150 million after seeing success in both the UK and the US. Sheeran and Adele both claim spots in the top 10 of the under-35 list – Sheeran, 32, in seventh place with an estimated wealth of £300 million.
Two murderers who killed schoolboy Khayri Mclean have been named and pictured for the first time.
A woman in need of a change of scenery took a week-long trip to Spain without using any annual leave - and now she's encouraging others to do the same.
A woman who quit her job in HR to look after other people's pets is now travelling the globe and living it up in luxury homes - for free. Kristina Corniel says she feels more alive than ever after ditching her office job which saw her working 80-100 hours a week.
Travis Scott‘s upcoming album ‘Utopia’ could be arriving soon, as the rapper has previewed the record for Houston’s professional baseball team, the Astros.In a clip posted to social media, Scott was seen preparing before sharing the album with the Astros, telling KRIV’s Sports Director Mark Berman: “It’s on the way now, Mark”. Elsewhere in the clip, Scott can seemingly be heard saying that he is in the process of finishing the album’s mastering.No footage of Scott’s ‘Utopia’ preview session with the baseball team was shared.Watch the clip below.Travis Scott (@trvisXX) at Minute Maid Park pic.twitter.com/qmqcw08WfI— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) May 15, 2023While a release date for ‘Utopia’ – and further details including its tracklisting – has yet to be announced, the record has been teased by Scott for awhile now, dating back to 2021.
A controversial plan to build 450 homes on green belt land in Worsley has been submitted to Salford city council. Residents turned out in force a year ago to register their opposition to the plan for the 42-acre plot on land known as Hazelhurst Farm between the busy A580 East Lancs Road and the slip road to the M61.
TransPennine Express (TPE) has just become the second operator of trains serving Greater Manchester to be brought under government control after months of poor performance. It was a decision welcomed by leaders and residents across the north after consistent disruption had left travellers regularly frustrated.
Delays, disruption and dear prices - there aren't many glowing reviews for the railway services from passengers in Manchester. But the experiences of TransPennine Express customers have been among the most frustrating in recent months.
After months of delays and cancellations TransPennine Express has been brought under government control. Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced this morning (Thurs) that the train operator's contract has not been renewed or extended, with services to be brought in to the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort (OLR) from May 28.
Andy Burnham has vowed to 'restore trust' in train services for 'long-suffering passengers' following the announcement that TransPennine Express would be brought under government control.
A man from Manchester accused of being part of a people smuggling gang is being hunted. Six men, including one from Longsight, have been jailed for a total of 26 years for transporting migrants through Portsmouth port and into the UK in the back of a refrigerated lorry.
Drake is selling the last U.S. property that he owns.