In this issue

November 19, 2021

Northern leaders furious as Johnson cuts HS2 rail plans

More than 20 million Britons will miss out on promised rail improvements after ministers revealed in full their plans to dump or downgrade key projects, including two new rail lines across the north.

4 mins

‘If You Want To Level Up, You Have To Make It Easier For Us To Get From Place To Place'

Leeds commuters rue Johnson’s broken promises on HS2

4 mins

Lack of joined-up thinking on HS2 could hurt Tories

The government’s rail plan is called “the integrated rail review” because it was supposed to work out how to integrate HS2 – a new north-south line – with Northern Powerhouse Rail, a new east-west line.

2 mins

There are leaves on the line that bluster can't blow away

There’s a cartoon joke doing the rounds online that goes thus: “How many Boris Johnson fans does it take to change a lightbulb? None.

3 mins

Police leaders back making misogyny a hate crime after PM rejects calls for change

Senior police officers have backed making misogyny a hate crime in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder – in direct contrast to Boris Johnson who has opposed the move, claiming it would “increase the problem”.

4 mins

Ex-ministers say policies on migration ‘patronise' voters

The Home Office has been accused of “underestimating the intelligence of voters” with “unworkable” policies that it claims will reduce the number of migrants entering the UK by crossing the Channel.

4 mins

Patel to list Hamas political wing as terror organisation

Priti Patel is to proscribe the political wing of Hamas as a terrorist organisation after denouncing it as “fundamentally and rabidly antisemitic”.

3 mins

Bin storage room advertised as studio flat for £600pcm

A bin storage room with chipboard fittings and no windows was advertised on property websites as a studio flat available to rent for £600 a month.

1 min

Inquiry to be held into death of novichok victim

A public inquiry will be held following the death of Dawn Sturgess, who was poisoned by novichok in 2018, home secretary Priti Patel has confirmed. The home secretary said she hoped to establish the inquiry “as soon as is reasonably possible in 2022”.

2 mins

‘Unpermitted sewage' being pumped into watercourses investigated by regulator

A major investigation has been launched by regulators after water companies admitted they could be pumping “unpermitted sewage” into England’s rivers and watercourses.

2 mins

More British soldiers on their way to Polish border

More British troops will be deployed to Poland’s border with Belarus to help address the migrant crisis.

2 mins

Can Asylum Seekers Be Processed In A Third Nation?

For some months now, reports, leaks and rumours have emerged from the Home Office that ministers are toying with the idea of sending asylum seekers to “third countries” for processing. Until now, such reports, leaks and rumours were downplayed, presumably because they were not yet policy, the details hadn’t been thought through, and because some may have been alarmed at civil servants trying to prevent these unusual schemes from happening.

4 mins

Labour MP refuses to back down on word ‘dodgy' to describe Conservatives

A Labour MP repeatedly refused to withdraw a description of senior Conservatives as “dodgy”, claiming no other word suffices for “the level of corruption and what we have seen from the government”.

2 mins

Johnson and Starmer should know being rude isn't clever

There is no complete list of words that constitute an unparliamentary language in the House of Commons.

3 mins

Read all stories from The Independent

The Independent Newspaper Description:

The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time. The Independent is free-thinking and free of bias in an increasingly fragmented world where communities locally, regionally and across continents are disenfranchised with traditional establishments. They want real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a news source that is ready to stand for something, not everything.