the train to Glasgow is stranded south of Milton Keynes due to a fallen tree and this feels like a metaphor for the climate talks
on the upside we're getting over-cheerful updates every 15 minutes
- this train is now poised to return to London after waiting in MK for two hours

- travellers being advised to wait til tomorrow to travel given serious damage

- Avanti says avoid East Coast line to Edinburgh given damage there as well

- inglorious start to @COP26 #COP26
latest advice from @AvantiWestCoast is “do not travel”
this is the scene awaiting travellers at Euston hoping to get to Glasgow for #COP26 Image
just walked to King’s Cross station where it’s equally chaotic, vaguely *28 days later* vibe
there’s a man outside the station preaching eternal damnation to sinners
- made it on to a slow train to Sunderland (don’t ask)

- other colleagues are flying, driving and (in one case) heading to Watford to get a hire car #wackyraces
this train is now stuck at Peterborough and going nowhere for quite some time
maybe I should stop tweeting now, but I’d hate to spoil your schadenfreude
meanwhile I wrote this news story

ft.com/content/4c0fa4…
this masterpiece is called “just north of Peterborough, 4pm” Image
made it to Newcastle only to be told to get off the train because it’s going back to London King’s Cross
yes of course the loos are closed Image
heading north once more, thinking about the advert in Euston station ImageImageImage
arrived: thread over Image

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More from @PickardJE

24 Oct
there’s a lingering disquiet about Tory MPs voting last week against an amendment to stop private water companies dumping raw sewage into rivers and coastlines…not sure they’ve gauged the public mood on this
government says that eliminating all storm overflow (of sewage) would cost £150bn:

here’s their line
on a more prosaic note, in case you find the terminology confusing:

sewage is the waste that is produced by people while sewerage is the structure that holds the sewage
Read 6 tweets
1 Oct
in March 2020 Rishi Sunak announced plans to move 22,000 civil servants out of central London by 2030

how’s that going?

er

civil service headcount in London grew 11% from 91,660 to 101,930 in the year to March 2021, more than double the rate elsewhere

ft.com/content/b6d194…
and what about over the period of 2010 to 2021 - ie since the Tories came to power?

- net *increase* of 15,401 civil servants in London

- net *decrease* of 58,005 across the other regions
here are the stats for last year….the trend could not be clearer
Read 12 tweets
25 Sep
government has at last confirmed our @ft scoop from yesterday:

“5,000 HGV drivers & 5,500 poultry workers added to existing visa scheme until Christmas 2021 to help food and fuel industries with driver shortages during exceptional circumstances this year”
ministers are sending nearly 1 million letters to all drivers who currently hold an HGV driving licence, encouraging them back into the industry
plus the government wants to train 4,000 more British HGV drivers
Read 5 tweets
11 Sep
meanwhile Johnson has warned today that voting Labour could imperil the benefits of Brexit
he goes on to list the benefits of Brexit so far
- already had freeports in EU

- member countries could opt out of the EU vaccine scheme

- not sure the Super League had anything to do with Brussels
Read 5 tweets
30 Jul
exclusive via @FT

- secretive club for major Conservative donors known as the ‘Advisory Board’ has been holding regular meetings and calls with Johnson & Sunak

- the club includes several members who have given at least £250,000 to the party

ft.com/content/f8a48b…
and here's our long read for @FTMag on Boris Johnson, the Conservative party and £$£$£

ft.com/content/8c6041…
it’s the cover story tomorrow

@GeorgeWParker
@SebastianEPayne
@kadhim
@tomburgis
@JasmineCC_95
& me
Read 5 tweets
14 Jul
Breaking 🚨

- there are over 700 workers at Nissan Sunderland - the UK’s largest car factory - self-isolating right now after being pinged by Covid app

- business groups warning that some companies are missing 20% of their staff

ft.com/content/560613… via @FinancialTimes
Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland Foods, said that Covid-related absences were “growing exponentially. Within a week or two they’ll be the highest ever.”

“This will be a shit show for business”.
The bars, restaurants and pubs sector is facing a similar labour crisis, according to Kate Nicholls, head of UKHospitality, who said that up to *a third* of staff were being forced to stay at home in some of the worst cases…
Read 4 tweets

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