As much as £20bn could be available to fund a "modern railway for the 21st century" between Liverpool and Manchester using the money saved from scrapping the Northern leg of HS2, mayor Andy Burnham has suggested.
Fines to be issued over lockdown-busting 'jingle and mingle' Christmas party at Tory HQ
13.10.2023 - 18:11 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A total of 24 fines are to be handed out for the notorious 'jingle and mingle' Christmas party at the Tory headquarters during lockdown. It took place in December 2020 at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) for activists on behalf of Shaun Bailey’s unsuccessful effort to be London mayor.
Lord Bailey, who received a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours, has previously apologised 'unreservedly' for the event organised by his campaign team, and said it was a 'serious error of judgment'. Both Lord Bailey and Tory aide Ben Mallett – who became an OBE in Mr Johnson’s honours list – attended the gathering at Matthew Parker Street on December 14, 2020 – when Covid restrictions were in force.
The investigation into the party was reopened in July this year after a video clip published by the Mirror showed staff appearing to dance, drink and joke about Covid restrictions. The BBC also published an invitation, revealing the event was called 'jingle and mingle'.
READ MORE: 'All our communities in Greater Manchester will be kept safe': Andy Burnham issues statement on Israel-Hamas conflict
READ MORE: Footage shows Ashley Dale's home minutes after she was shot dead
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "Having assessed that new evidence, the Met has made 24 referrals for fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations."
Lord Bailey has been contacted for comment. At the time of the event London was under Tier-2 restrictions which banned indoor socialising between people from different households.
But on the day the party was held, concern about rising cases led to the announcement that London would move to even stricter Tier 3 restrictions on December
The website popstar.one is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
28.10.2023 / 08:17
Mayor and MP meet Muslim community as pressure mounts on Labour over Israel-Gaza war
Labour politicians from across Greater Manchester have met with members of the Muslim community as pressure mounts on the party over its stance on the Israel-Gaza war. Mayor Andy Burnham was joined by Gorton MP Afzal Khan and council leaders from across the city-region at the meeting in Whalley Range this afternoon (October 27).
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
27.10.2023 / 18:03
There is 'opportunity' in the wake of controversial HS2 scrapping, says Andy Burnham
The scrapping of HS2 has left Greater Manchester with an ‘opportunity’, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has told council bosses.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
21.10.2023 / 08:45
Knife crime is down in Greater Manchester - but there's more work to do
Knife crime has fallen by 16 per cent in Greater Manchester despite rising across England and Wales - but mayor Andy Burnham says there is more work to do be done to tackle it. The city-region still has one of the highest levels of knife crime in the country.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
20.10.2023 / 20:59
Avanti to cut services on some of UK’s busiest routes including Manchester to London before Christmas
Avanti West Coast is to cut the number of services it operates in December because of staff shortages, reducing weekend train frequency on one of Britain’s main intercity lines before Christmas.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
20.10.2023 / 12:37
One of the most powerful public officials in Greater Manchester is stepping down after 42 years
One of the most powerful public officials in Greater Manchester has announced he will be retiring. Eamonn Boylan will step down as chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in May.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
13.10.2023 / 22:13
Andrew Flintoff agrees seven figure pay-out with BBC after horror Top Gear crash
The BBC has reached 'an agreement' with Andrew Flintoff after he was involved in a crash while filming Top Gear, the corporation has said. The former England cricket captain, 45, appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September, nine months after he was taken to hospital after he was hurt while filming the BBC motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
13.10.2023 / 21:47
Residents react after Andy Burnham slams council 80 miles away flooding Greater Manchester with 'out of town' taxi drivers
Manchester Evening News readers have been having their say on the issue of 'out-of-town' taxi drivers after Andy Burnham said the widespread practice was 'undermining public safety'. According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 8,952 private hire drivers licensed by Wolverhampton Council are on the roads in Greater Manchester.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
13.10.2023 / 18:11
'All our communities in Greater Manchester will be kept safe': Andy Burnham issues statement on Israel-Hamas conflict
Andy Burnham has released a statement on the crisis in Gaza and 'condemned without reservation the appalling attacks in Israel by Hamas'. The Mayor also said he was 'determined' that all communities in Greater Manchester would be kept safe, while also reiterating the right of the public to take part in peaceful protest.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
13.10.2023 / 15:59
Andy Burnham SLAMS council 80 miles away with 9,000 Greater Manchester cabbies licensed there
Andy Burnham has pleaded with people not to use taxis licensed by a council 80 miles away.
nme.com
10.10.2023 / 19:13
Liam Gallagher to make surprise tram announcements in Manchester this week
Liam Gallagher will be this week’s surprise voice for Manchester’s tram announcements.The former Oasis member and Manchester music legend is set to take over the tram announcements in celebration of the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s integrated public transport system, and Beyond the Music festival. Gallagher will be announcing the stops as they go via some pre-recorded snippets.Beyond the Music Festival is a new fest and change-making conference that is set to take place in Manchester from October 11-14.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
09.10.2023 / 17:59
Scrapping of HS2 northern link 'could bring Metrolink to Bolton'
Bolton’s link to the rest of Greater Manchester could end up being the unlikely beneficiary of the scrapping of HS2 as plans to bring the Metrolink tram service to the town look on the cards. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled plans to invest nearly £4billion on improving connectivity in the Northern towns and cities when the HS2 link from Birmingham to Manchester was axed last week.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
09.10.2023 / 12:03
Greater Manchester 'can’t guarantee' a high standard from out of town taxi drivers - and there are nine THOUSAND of them
More than a third of private hire taxi drivers in Greater Manchester are licensed by a council that operates around 80 miles away in Wolverhampton.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
04.10.2023 / 16:45
Scrapping Manchester's HS2 line only 'temporarily derails' city, says Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham says the decision to cancel Manchester’s HS2 link means the city is only ‘temporarily derailed’.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
04.10.2023 / 12:25
Huge change to secondary education as A-levels and T-Levels to be combined
Rishi Sunak has announced a major change to secondary education that will bring together A-levels and T-Levels.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
03.10.2023 / 21:31
Rishi Sunak will slam decades of politicians 'making the easy decision, not the right one' as he 'confirms HS2 to Manchester will be scrapped'
Rishi Sunak - widely expected to announce the axing of the Manchester leg of HS2 - will criticise decades of politicians making 'the easy decision, not the right one' when he takes to the stage at the Conservative Party Conference in the heart of the city.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
03.10.2023 / 20:33
'What a disgrace': Andy Burnham reacts to latest HS2 reports as north looks set to lose out
Andy Burnham has reacted with fury after reports HS2 trains will come to Manchester - but on 'normal tracks'. Sky News tonight reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has decided to drastically alter the northern leg of the high-speed rail project to save money, effectively scrapping the high-speed stretch to Manchester.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
03.10.2023 / 12:05
Rishi Sunak laughs as Susanna Reid grills him on GMB about 'letting down people of Manchester' over HS2
Rishi Sunak laughed after he was grilled by Susanna Reid about 'letting down the people of Manchester' amid reports he is planning to axe the northern HS2 leg.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
02.10.2023 / 08:41
'Focusing on communities represents a win-win for people and the planet'
This is an opinion letter and does not necessarily represent the views of the Manchester Evening News.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
01.10.2023 / 07:17
The places where Metrolink was supposed to be by 2023
It's over four years since Andy Burnham announced Bolton, Stockport and Wigan were next in line to be connected to the Metrolink network.