One of areas where the Labour manifesto needs improvement is transport. It is rarely a frontline area at election time, and although the nationalisation of the railways proved a popular pledge, there was little on how Labour could make a decisive shift towards a more environmentally friendly policy that would also improve people’s journey experience. Cycling received barely a mention, and among Labour activists it is often thought that...

HS2 seems to be moving inexorably forward with the letting this week of several initial contracts to the tune of £6.6bn for tunnels and preparatory work. While the project has not quite reached the point of no return it is certainly odds on that the first section, the line from London to Birmingham, will go ahead.  Yet apart from the Parliamentary bill process which was more akin to a...

The expression ‘historic moment’ is overused, but there is little doubt that we are living through one. It is always risky to predict the future, particularly given the number of recent surprises in both the political and sporting realms, but it seems highly likely that the summer of 2017 will go down as a key point in history, to go along with such events as the financial crisis of...