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Conservative rail minister Huw Merriman was mocked by Sky News presenter Kay Burley during a live interview on HS2.Mr Merriman claimed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had “no plan” when it came to high-speed rail, during an interview on Tuesday morning (23 January).He said: “He doesn’t have a plan, he hasn’t confirmed whether HS2 will go ahead or not.”Ms Burley responds: “Did you just say he’s not got a plan? You know you guys say this every day, don’t you?”Mr Merriman was then shown a montage of Tory MPs claiming Labour “has no plan”. More

A Tory MP has said that she would like to see a comeback from Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, describing the pair as a “dynamic duo.””We’d be a safer place if Trump came back actually, looking at the situation with Ukraine and Russia,” Dame Andrea Jenkyns said.The MP for Morley and Outwood’s comments came as the former US president opened up an 11 percentage point lead over Nikki Haley, his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest poll from CNN and the University of New Hampshire. More

Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda asylum bill has suffered its first defeat in the House of Lords.The unelected chamber sought to delay a treaty with the east African nation that paves the way for the divisive deportation scheme with a defeat backed by 214 votes to 171, majority 43.Peers supported a call by the Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC) that parliament should not ratify the pact until ministers can prove Rwanda is safe.Mr Sunak’s bill states that Rwanda must be treated as a “safe country” under UK law, which the government believes will allow deportation flights to the country to begin. More

Tory London Mayor candidate Susan Hall has hit out at those in power making “false promises” as she announced a £200m police funding pledge.Ms Hall appeared on LBC radio on Monday (22 January) and told presenter Nick Ferrari it was “wrong to make promises on the radio without knowing how to fund them”, before vowing to deliver more police officers.Ms Hall said: “I won’t make promises on the radio unless I know they are funded.“You get so many different people on the radio promising everything. You should not promise anything unless you know where the money is coming from.” More

Tory London Mayor candidate Susan Hall has admitted she does not know the price of bus fares in London.Ms Hall appeared on LBC radio on Monday (22 January) and was quizzed by presenter Nick Ferrari.Mr Ferrari asked Ms Hall: “What is the bus fare? How much do you pay to get on a bus currently?”“I don’t use them, I use trains all the time,” Ms Hall responds.A seemingly shocked Mr Ferrari asks: “You don’t know what a bus fare is?”“No,” she replies. More

Rishi Sunak has “no interest” in ending the long-running UK train strikes, Simon Calder has suggested.The Independent’s Travel Correspondent also described Mr Sunak as the “most anti-rail prime minister we have ever seen” during an appearance on BBC Politics London on Sunday 21 January.“He’s got no interest in settling the incredibly long-running – we are now in the third calendar year of strikes by Aslef train drivers – and it’s now increasingly seen as an election wedge issue,” Mr Calder said.“The government doesn’t really care.” More

Keir Starmer will “undoubtedly” be the next prime minister, Scotland’s first minister has suggested.Humza Yousaf told Laura Kuenssberg that he is “very willing” to work with an incoming Labour government.“I think he absolutely will be [the next prime minister],” Mr Yousaf said, in an interview that aired on Sunday morning (21 January).“I’ve written to Keir Starmer, I’ve invited him to Edinburgh for a discussion. I’d like to speak to Keir Starmer as the man who will undoubtedly be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.” More

Grant Shapps suggested “accidents sometimes happen” as he responded to two Royal Navy ships colliding in Bahrain.Video widely shared on social media appeared to show HMS Chiddingfold reverse into HMS Bangor in the Middle Eastern port.The defence secretary was asked “how on earth” the incident happened during an interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday 21 January.“I immediately spoke to the first sea lord in charge of the navy and he has confirmed that an investigation is under way,” Mr Shapps said.“We look forward to finding out what the causes were.” More