Markus Andrews

Englands three largest cities are also the three most expensive in Europe for public transport, a new study has found. London, Manchester and Birmingham occupied the three bottom spots in a ranking of 36 metropoles by affordability. Researchers looked at each city and compared the price of a monthly travel pass to the average household budget.London ranked bottom with its £167 zone 1-3 price cap taking up 9.6 per cent of average household budget. By contrast an equivalent pass in Copenhagen, the most proportionally affordable city, takes up just 1.3 per cent of a local resident’s household budget. A 30-day commuter pass costs 620 Danish Krone (£69), while residents enjoy some of the highest incomes in Europe.Manchester and Birmingham fared little better than London, with Manchester’s monthly System One travel card weighing in at £126 and Birmingham’s TfWM zone 1-3 card costing £105. These account for 9 per cent and 7.9 per cent of household budgets respectively.The UK government subsidises urban public transport far less than most European countries, with the cost of bus and rail increasing in recent decades, while the cost of motoring has fallen.In the capital, the government has scrapped regular day-to-day subsidies for Transport for London and requires the operator to cover its costs.Rail fares are set to increase a further 3.8 per cent next week, while London tube and bus fares will go up by 4.8 per cent. Meanwhile the government has frozen fuel duty since 2009, forgoing around £46bn in revenues.In Paris, just 2.3 per cent of household income is required for an equivalent public transport ticket. A monthly pass giving free travel on all public transport in the wider Paris region costs just €75 (£62).Brussels, meanwhile, demands 2.4 per cent, where a regional public transport pass costs €55 (£45). Rome’s ticket costs 2.5 per cent of household income, while Amsterdam’s is 3.6 per cent and Berlin’s is 3.9 per cent.But London fared well in another metric: access to public transport. Inner London has 10.7 stations and stops per square km, behind only Paris and Lisbon. Manchester and Birmingham respectively ranked 17 and 10 out of the 36 cities studied by this metric, roughly in the middle of the pack.Oliver Lord, UK head of Clean Cities Campaign, which produced the report, said: “The only way to address our air pollution and climate crisis is to ensure public transport is a cheap, reliable and accessible alternative to the car. “Our new report shows that UK cities have the least affordable public transport in Europe, which will inevitably get worse given this government’s decision to increase fares in a cost of living crisis. “This government should be helping, not hindering, our cities to play their role in meeting the UK’s clean air and climate goals.”Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “This report makes clear the link between the cost of public transport and efforts to decarbonise transport, and must therefore act as a wake-up call for the UK government. “We currently have a situation where it is often cheaper to drive or fly short distances than take the train or the bus, whereas the greenest option should always be the cheapest. “We need more affordable public transport to help us achieve the government’s vision, where public transport, cycling and walking are the first choice when it comes to transport.” A Department for Transport Spokesperson said: “Public transport in the UK is some of the best in the world and we will continue to build on the strong, green credentials thanks to our Transport Decarbonisation Plan, working towards a cheaper, cleaner and more accessible transport network.” More

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing questions from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in Whitehall.Sources close to the chancellor said he had received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan Police asking him to confirm whether he attended the events under investigation and what excuse he had for being there.The move means that Mr Sunak is effectively being questioned under caution, and could face a fixed penalty fine of £100 or more for breaching Covid regulations.Mr Sunak was present at an impromptu birthday party arranged for Mr Johnson in No 10’s cabinet room on 19 June 2020.Police are understood to have been passed a picture of the event taken by an official photographer, which reportedly shows Mr Johnson holding a can of beer and Mr Sunak with a soft drink.A Treasury source has previously said that the chancellor joined the party inadvertently after going to the cabinet room for a Covid strategy committee meeting.Around 30 people were present at the event, where cake was served, at a time when indoor gatherings were banned under strict coronavirus legislation.Questionnaires were sent by the Met’s Operation Hillman to 88 people including the prime minister earlier this month, asking them to provide a “lawful exception” or “reasonable excuse” for their presence at any of the 12 events under investigation.The document states at the outset that those accused have an opportunity to provide “a written statement under caution”.It then goes on to ask around a dozen questions, including timings of attendance at parties and how many others were present.It also asks respondents if they “interacted with” or undertook “any activity with” any one present.The form gives them a chance to justify their actions, asking: “What, if any, lawful exception applied to the gathering and/or what reasonable excuse did you have for participating in the gathering?” More

Boris Johnson has said Britain will impose economic sanctions on more than 100 Russian individuals, entities and subsidiaries – including oligarchs close to president Vladimir Putin.The prime minister vowed to “hobble” the Russian economy in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, as he set out the government’s plan to expand sanctions in the Commons on Thursday.Mr Johnson told MPs that the government would freeze the assets of major Russian banks – including VTB, the second’s largest bank – and would ban Russian airline Aeroflot from landing planes in the UK.The prime minister said it was the “the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen” – and promised that Russian oligarchs living in London “would have nowhere to hide”.It is understood that further lists of targets have already been prepared so pressure can be further ratcheted up in what the PM called “a rolling programme of intensified sanctions”.Mr Johnson said Mr Putin’s “hideous and barbarous” venture in Ukraine must “end in failure”, adding: “Now we see him for what is – a blood-stained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest.”The PM also indicated that the UK would work with allies to limit Russian access to the Swift international payment system. “I know that this House will have great interest in the potential of cutting Russia out from Swift … nothing is off the table.”On the expanded list of sanctioned entities are five major companies in the Russian defence sector – including the country’s largest defence company Rostec, which employs more than 2m and exports £10bn of weapons a year – as well as more than 70 of their subsidiaries.All will have their assets frozen and UK-based companies and individuals will be barred from any transactions with them.Five super-wealthy individuals with close links to the Kremlin will also face asset freezes and blocks on transactions, as well as a ban on travel to the UK.The measures will mean, for example, that any of them with children studying at British public schools will be unable to pay their fees.The targeted oligarchs are Russia’s youngest billionaire Kirill Shamalov, who was previously married to Putin’s daughter, PS Bank chief Petr Fradkov, VTB Bank deputy president Denis Bortnikov, defence company director Yuri Slyusar and Novicom Bank chair  Elena Georgieva.A UK diplomatic source said: “These are people who have international lifestyles – they come to Harrods to shop, they stay in our best hotels when they like, they send their children to our best public schools, and that is what’s being stopped.”The official added: “So that these people are essentially persona non grata in every major western European capital in the world. That really bites.”Mr Johnson promised the Economic Crime Bill will include a register of overseas property ownership, while a new “kleptocracy cell” will be set up in the National Crime Agency. “That means oligarchs in London will have nowhere to hide,” said the prime minister.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer braced the UK for the “sacrifice to defend democracy” of “economic pain” as oil prices soar and Russian money is flushed out of banks.Sir Keir said Labour would support further sanctions against the regime to see “its ability to function crippled” – and called for a ban on Russia’s participation in the Swift payment system.Earlier on Thursday Ukraine’s foreign minister urged countries to ban Russia from the Swift payments system – saying those who resisted the move would have “blood on their hands”.Mr Johnson has faced resistance from Germany to the exclusion of Russia from the Swift system, and a conference call of leaders of G7 states this afternoon agreed only that any move must be taken by members as a group rather than unilaterally.Legislation will be introduced and brought into effect on Tuesday to prohibit all major Russian companies form raising finance through UK markets and bar the Russian state from raising sovereign debt in Britain.All exports of dual-use technology are immediately banned and legislation will be rushed through to prohibit sales of hi-tech items and supplies for extractive industries. And elements of the Economic Crime Bill will be brought forward from next year’s agenda and pushed through parliament before Easter to crack down on illicit finance and laundering of Russian money.A limit will be set on the size of deposits which any Russian national can hold in a UK bank, though the threshold, and the date from which it will be applied, are yet to be decided.All sanctions on Russia will be extended to include Belarus.The package of sanctions has been drawn up over a matter of months by a team of officials trebled in size as the Ukraine crisis developed.Detailed cases for action have been drawn up for each individual and business, with the aim of making the justification for sanctions legally watertight in the case of a court challenge by the notoriously litigious oligarchs. More

Boris Johnson has said the UK would offer support for a Ukrainian government in exile after warning the president he may need a “safe place” to flee from Russian troops.The prime minister said he has told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky he and his ministers may have to leave the country in the wake of the Russia invasion.“One of the points I made to president Zelensky this morning was it might be necessary for him to find a safe place for him and his cabinet to go,” the PM told MPs.Conservative MP Julian Lewis, who chairs the Intelligence and security select committee of parliament, asked: “If, as appears likely, Ukraine gets overwhelmed, will we offer to give sanctuary to a government in exile pending Ukraine’s future freedom?”Mr Johnson replied: “Of course we will give all support that we can – logistical or otherwise – as Britain always has done to governments in exile.”The prime minister said the UK will support the Ukrainians “economically, diplomatically, politically, and yes, militarily as well – I know that in due time we will success”.He said the “unflinching goal” of his government will be to see Vladimir Putin’s “squalid” venture fail. “Now we see him for what is – a blood-stained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest.”The PM extended punitive measures on Thursday to hit five further oligarchs, including the Putin’s former son-in-law, and to tackle more than 100 Russian businesses, individuals and organisations.Mr Johnson said the UK will imminently ban Aeroflot from touching down planes in the UK and will freeze the assets of all major Russian banks, including immediately against VTB.Earlier on Thursday Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba urged countries to ban Russia from the Swift payments system – saying those who resisted the move would have “blood on their hands”.Mr Johnson also indicated that the UK would work with allies to limit Russian access to the Swift international payment system. “Nothing is off the table,” he said.The PM is to lead another meeting of the government’s Cobra emergencies committee to discuss the Ukraine crisis, followed by a meeting of the cabinet, this evening.The PM’s spokesman said Whitehall departments, including No 10, will fly the Ukrainian flag and will be lit up in yellow and blue on Thursday evening in a gesture of solidarity. More

We are now 25 months on from Britain’s exit from the EU. Yet Brexit remains undone. The messy economic consequences are still unravelling, arrangements for Northern Ireland remain unclear, and the government has embarked on a mission to find hidden legislative “opportunities” lurking in the Brexit bushes.Foreign secretary Liz Truss may be talking tough on Russia, but she is speaking softly on the UK’s endless row with the EU. With the Ukraine crisis absorbing all attention, the Northern Ireland Protocol issue appears to have been quietly placed on the back burner.Truss and her EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic have agreed recent talks have sparked “neither breakthrough nor breakdown” – pledging to carry on with negotiations to ease trade barriers without a deadline. So it looks like the Northern Ireland election will come and go in May with nothing resolved.Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has said there was a very real risk the Stormont executive will not return after the election, given the DUP’s “never, never, never” stance on the protocol. Will the mess flare up before marching season?Meanwhile, Brexit opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg’s war on EU red tape has turned into a war on the metric system – as the government launches a study into the benefits of reintroducing imperial units of measurements. Can Rees-Mogg placate Tory Brexiteers?It comes as logistics chiefs and local politicians urged the government to start building more lorry parks near Dover or face “complete gridlock” around the port, as post-Brexit checks continue to cause huge delays.Desperate drivers caught in four-hour queues near Dover have been forced to “s*** in the bushes” and throw bottles of urine out of the window, The Independent has been told. Is there any sign of relief on the way?I’m here to answer your questions live at 3pm on Wednesday 2 March. All you have to do is register to submit your question in the comments below.If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments box to leave your question. Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they’ll be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them. More

Graduates will be paying university fees into their 60s after the government announced plans to extend the period before student loans are written off.Student debt will be wiped out after 40 years, rather than the existing 30, under proposals which have been likened to a “working-life-long graduate tax”.The government said the extension would ensure a greater proportion of student loans are paid back, reducing the burden on taxpayers. But the changes mean lower-income graduates will have to repay their loans earlier, as well as for longer, with the threshold at which payments begin cut from £27,295 to £25,000 for those beginning courses at September 2023. Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “The plans will see most university leavers pay far more for their degrees over their lifetime than they do now.“It effectively completes the transformation of student ‘loans’ for most, into a working-life-long graduate tax.”Michelle Donelan, minister for higher and further education, insisted the reforms would create a “fairer system for students, graduates and taxpayers” and were “future-proofing the student finance system”.She added the removal of interest rates from loans after 2023 meant graduates will not have to repay more than they borrow. Nadhim Zahawi, education secretary, described the new student finance system is “more sustainable” and said it would “put an end once for all to high interest rates on their student loans” as well as keep “higher education accessible and accountable”. More

Keir Starmer has warned Britons to be braced for “economic pain” after sanctions are imposed on Russia, but called for the toughest action to end Vladimir Putin’s “bandit rule”.Experts warn that sanctions – while hitting Russia hard – will rebound the UK and other countries by sending already-soaring energy bills to new highs, as well as supermarket prices.In his televised advice, in which he vowed the invasion must fail, Boris Johnson made no mention of the knock-on impact for British people already suffering a cost-of living crisis.But the Labour leader said: “We must prepare ourselves for difficulties here. We will see economic pain as we free Europe from dependence on Russian gas and clean our institutions from money stolen from the Russian people.”He added: “But the British public have always been willing to make sacrifice to defend democracy on our continent and we will again.”In his own TV address, Sir Keir called for the Putin regime to see its “ability to function crippled”, so that it’s “bandit rule” comes to an end.“This must be a turning point in our history. We must look back and say that this terrible day was actually when Putin doomed himself to defeat,” he said.more follows More

The Russian invasion of Ukraine happened because of Western provocation of Vladimir Putin, Nigel Farage has claimed.The former Brexit Party and Ukip chief said on Thursday that the attack was a consequence of Nato and the EU trying to “poke the Russian bear with a stick”.He blamed the expansion of the Western military alliance and European Union for the current situation.But Mr Farage admitted he was “wrong” to have previously suggested that the Russian president would not attack his western neighbour.”Well, I was wrong. Putin has gone much further than I thought he would,” Mr Farage said in a tweet on Thursday as Russian helicopters were spotted fighting near Kiev.”A consequence of EU and Nato expansion, which came to a head in 2014. It made no sense to poke the Russian bear with a stick. These are dark days for Europe.”Mr Putin has warned the international community of “consequences greater than any you have faced in history” as he declared the start of his invasion.The Russian president had previously said he had no plans to attack Ukraine. He now says that “our plans are not to occupy Ukraine”.Russia says that Ukrainian membership of Nato is unacceptable and claims it has been provoked into a military operation to defend separatist republics.But the Ukrainian government and the West have characterised Russia’s action as a “full-scale invasion”. Mr Farage claimed earlier this week that “it was the European Union wanting to expand, wanting Ukraine to join it” that prompted the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s pro-Russian president until the 2014 Maidan revolution. Speaking on GB News he had said: “Yes we know the Russian can be paranoid, but why poke the Russian bear with a stick? If Vladimir Putin’s one demand is that we state clearly that Ukraine is not going to join Nato, why don’t we do it?” More