Thursday briefing: HS2’s never-ending journey continues, as Labour push back the £100bn project … again

In today’s newsletter: HS2 was meant to revolutionise Britain’s rail network and Labour promises a reset, but some question whether the high-speed project is still worth itGood morning. In 2009, I honestly thought it was quite likely that I’d see England win the World Cup in my lifetime. Maybe even by the time I reached the grand old age of 40. In the same year, the Labour government announced HS2, and said that the first phase, from London to Birmingham, would open by 2026. Well, it’s 2025 now, I’m 41, England have just lost 3-1 to Senegal, and yesterday HS2 had its expected completion date pushed back from 2033 to … we’ll get back to you on that.By now, it is almost impossible to keep the endless setbacks to the UK’s flagship major infrastructure project straight in your head. But yesterday’s announcement is genuinely significant. On one hand, it reflects years of catastrophic mismanagement, and an even longer wait for the hotly debated benefits of the line to start to be realised. On the other, Labour would like you to believe they are taking a more realistic view than their predecessors, and finally getting a grip on costs that have spiralled further and further out of control.Middle East | Donald Trump has suggested it would make sense for the US to launch strikes against Iran only if bombing was guaranteed to destroy the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, according to people familiar with the deliberations. The sources said he has held off authorizing strikes to see if Iran is prepared to enter talks.Protest | Universities in England will no longer be able to enforce blanket bans on student protests under sweeping new guidance from the Office for Students. The regulator also advises administrators not to apply prolonged bans on protest encampments over the Israel-Gaza conflict.Gaza | Eleven Palestinians were killed early on Wednesday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd waiting for food trucks in central Gaza, civil defence officials said. The deaths bring the toll at food distribution sites in recent days to more than a hundred.Health | Air pollution in the UK is costing more than £500m a week in ill health, NHS care and productivity losses, and killing more than 500 people a week, doctors have said. The Royal College of Physicians said that 99% of the population are breathing in “toxic air”.Air India crash | The sole survivor of the Air India crash has helped carry his brother’s flower-heaped coffin to a crematorium in the western Indian coastal town of Diu, days after they plummeted into the ground shortly after takeoff. Continue reading...

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