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Plans to expand Heathrow Airport with a £21bn third runway are back on the table – and the divide, between those in support and those against, is already a chasm.The project, aimed at boosting economic growth and creating jobs, has won support from the Labour government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves insists the expansion will go ahead, despite mounting opposition from within her own party.London mayor Sadiq Khan has threatened legal action, warning that a third runway would worsen air pollution, increase noise for residents and put Britain’s climate targets at risk. He joins other senior Labour figures, including Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband, in questioning the government’s priorities.Heathrow says it can get planning consent by 2029 and open the runway within a decade. But critics argue that the project will have a “huge knock-on effect” on London’s infrastructure – and risk deepening regional inequalities by focusing growth in the capital.So, do you back the plan to expand Heathrow – or believe it’s the wrong direction for the UK?Vote in our poll and tell us what you think in the comments below. More

HS2 will provide more track, more trains, more seats and faster journeys to improve performance and reliability across Britain’s rail network.” So says the hitherto dysfunctional organisation that has squandered billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash with precious little to show for it.A more accurate claim might be: “We have an unlimited pot of taxpayers’ money and we are going to spend it.”New chief executive, Mark Wild, says the position he has inherited is “unacceptable” and that HS2 has “failed in its mission to control costs and deliver to schedule”.“We must intervene to regain control of the programme and reset it to deliver at the lowest feasible cost, while maintaining safety and value for money.”Since taking office, Labour has spent almost a year assembling evidence to pin the blame for the shambles on the Tories; now it must pick up the pieces and deliver at least something. Heidi Alexander on Wednesday told the House of Commons she is drawing a “line in the sand” over the beleaguered rail project, which she called an “appalling mess,” and admitted there is no chance it will open by its most recent delayed target date of 2033.These are the key questions and answers.What is the history of high-speed rail in the UK?High Speed One is the 68-mile fast railway line from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone in Kent, which opened in 2008. It cost less than £7bn, roughly £100m per mile.High Speed Two is a much more ambitious rail project, originally involving 345 miles of new high-speed track. HS2 was designed to relieve pressure on the West Coast and East Coast main lines, to move intercity passengers to a dedicated network, reduce journey times and increase capacity.The existing West Coast main line is the busiest intercity route in Europe, handling a mix of express passenger services, commuter trains and freight. There is no room for expansion, and the system has little resilience.HS2 began as a dream in 2009, gathering all-party support for a project that would unify the nation with proper 21st-century rail connections from London to the Midlands and northern England, with improved journeys to Scotland. Trains were due to start running in 2026.Sixteen years and about £40bn later, there is now no prospect of any high-speed trains running for another decade – after tens of billions more have been spent on an embarrassing stump of a line between London and Birmingham.The total cost, estimated in 2010 at £33bn for the whole project, is now expected to reach as much as £100bn for a much-reduced line: the 140 miles of Phase 1, which will include stations at London Euston, Old Oak Common in west London, Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street. The cost per mile? About £700m.What went wrong?Wild says: “Construction commenced too soon, without the conditions to enable productive delivery, such as stable and consented designs. From the start, the cost and schedule estimates were optimistic with inadequate provision for risk.”After signing nonsensical construction contracts that left taxpayers on the hook for spectacular overspends, a succession of ministers – in particular, transport secretaries – have wrought further expensive havoc by repeatedly changing their minds.The most essential parts of the scheme – a northwestern leg to Crewe and Manchester, and a northeast leg to Sheffield and Leeds – were scrapped in an attempt to save money amid ballooning costs and to try to drum up votes from motorists.In a crowded field of contenders for the most egregious act of vandalism against desperately needed national infrastructure, one figure stands out: Rishi Sunak, who scrapped the link to Manchester in a speech delivered… in Manchester. Britain’s then prime minister pretended the money saved would be spent on piecemeal transport improvements collectively called “Network North” – which turned out to include projects in Kent and Devon.Did anybody notice?Not HS2. As recently as August 2024, the organisation’s annual report claimed: “The forecast for initial services between Birmingham and Old Oak Common remains in the range 2029-2033.”In July 2023 Mark Thurston resigned after six years as chief executive, during which he earned a total of £4,495,408. The-then transport secretary, Mark Harper, praised Mr Thurston’s work, saying: “I want to thank him for his work over the last six years on progressing Britain’s most transformative rail project.”He successfully oversaw the start of construction and drove the project to full scale.”But the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, which reports to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, concluded in 2023: “There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”The Department for Transport (DfT) now says: “The long-running failure to manage the programme effectively, along with repeated de-scoping under previous governments, means that the programme will not achieve its original mission and has undermined the remaining delivery.”Through all this, HS2 Ltd has demonstrated “insufficient capability and capacity in key commercial and technical functions” – according to current CEO Wild.One example quoted by the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander: “Between 2019 and 2023, HS2 Ltd provided initial designs for Euston station, coming in almost £2bn over budget. When asked for a more affordable option, they offered one costing £400m more than the first attempt. The word ‘affordable’ was clearly not part of the HS2 lexicon. “Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management.”When HS2 finally opens, how much faster will the journey be?The current claim is that the trip from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street will take 45 minutes, compared with 77 minutes at present on the conventional line. Initially, though, trains will run only from Old Oak Common in west London. And, says Wild, the line might open at “slightly reduced running speed”. So let’s call it 50 minutes.HS2 claims: “Our high-speed trains will continue to Manchester, the North West and Scotland using the conventional railway network, cutting journey times.”But the originally planned trip from London to Manchester of 67 minutes – almost halving the current journey time – will be much longer. With the new line northwest to Crewe and Manchester scrapped, the final section of HS2 will be a link running north from Birmingham to Handsacre Junction, where it will join the existing and heavily congested West Coast main line.Is there any hope for the northern section?A lower-cost, “quite high speed” link from Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester could provide some connectivity. The transport guru Thomas Ableman says: “The purpose of HS2 is an investment to transform the economics of this country. At the moment, Britain is one of the most unequal countries when it comes to productivity: London, incredibly high; cities of the North, some of the lowest in Europe.“This is about equalising that and it’s absolutely the right thing to do. Does that mean it needs to be a 200mph or 225mph railway? Almost certainly not. Putting in place the capacity to make that transformational change possible is far more important than the precise specification that was developed for the original HS2 project.“Quite frankly, HS2 has become something of a toxic term. A more conventional railway that provides the connectivity, provides the capacity could be exactly the way of unlocking what would otherwise be a very knotty political problem.” More

As Brits grapple with the post-Brexit reality of restricted EU access, many Independent readers have been sharing why they’ve pursued second citizenship – and how it’s reshaped their identity, freedom, and sense of belonging.Jessica Furseth’s article struck a chord with those determined to reclaim their right to freedom of movement through ancestral ties, even if it meant wrestling with red tape. Her piece captured the reality of a growing trend: UK-born citizens pursuing second passports not for novelty, but necessity, reestablishing the rights they feel were stripped away by Brexit.Our readers described frantic searches through family records, cross-border paperwork marathons, and bittersweet awakenings to long-dormant heritage. Irish citizenship was the most popular route, but many also explored their Polish, German and Italian heritage. While a few wrestled with feelings of imposter syndrome, most said the outcome was worth it – not just for smoother holidays or easier work permits, but to feel connected to Europe again.The overarching view was that Brexit took something personal – and that this wave of passport reclamation isn’t just administrative – it’s emotional: about agency, identity, and quietly defying the walls that went up.Here’s what you had to say:Jus sanguinisHusband asserted his right to Italian citizenship on the basis of jus sanguinis, or bloodline, unbroken through his mother’s family. Took about two weeks after getting a codicil on his birth certificate, as a result of which my daughter has done the same (found herself frozen out of jobs otherwise) and my son should have got around to it, having studied in Italy for six years. I will be applying on the grounds of marriage, only slightly more complicated. All of this became an issue solely because of Brexit, and I’m so annoyed that the doors have been slammed in the faces of Britons who valued EU membership.MonteRosaHave you pursued a dual citizenship post-Brexit? Share your story in the commentsWonderful to still have my European citizenshipAs someone who, years after his hair became grey, became truly interested in his Irish heritage, I can only say it’s wonderful to still have my European citizenship. I can see my daughter in Holland as I please – no 90 days nonsense. I can cross any Schengen border as a true European citizen. This, as we go, for example, as a family to the Christmas fair in Oldenburg (Germany).But as we pass Mr Farage and his German-speaking family doing their Christmas shopping in Germany too, it’s good to know that more people have found this loophole!BradIt feels good to say I’m IrishI can relate to Tom Harrison. My father told me many years ago that I could claim Irish citizenship because his father was Irish, but I never saw the need. But post-Brexit, I wanted to remain an EU citizen, so I went for it, and it’s a much simpler task now with the advent of the internet. Despite visiting family and friends and having many holidays in Ireland over the years, I do feel a bit of a fraud. That said, I am immensely grateful to the Irish government for allowing it. I sometimes feel a little uncomfortable telling people that I’m British, but it feels good to be able to say that I’m Irish.BionicpantsTravel is what the EU is aboutThese people are pro-EU for the right reasons: the freedom to travel, work and live all over Europe. That is what the EU is about, the Ever Closer Union. You may notice, they don’t mention the nice side effects, like frictionless trade, no additional roaming, or certain subsidies. They embrace the Euro and the Schengen area.Should the UK want to join, they have to embrace the principles of the Ever Closer Union as well. It helps if you focus on what that means, instead of repeating the economic benefits. As said, those are just nice side effects.OrvalCan we please have Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Grealish back?As an Irish person, it’s very satisfying to hear these stories of people with Irish heritage benefiting from getting an Irish passport. Can we please have Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Grealish back as a sign of appreciation? All very pleasant chaps too from what I can see.AnonyMousseMy mother is an immigrant from an EU country, and I got an EU passport about three years ago, as a result.Interestingly, I went to Spain recently, and when spotted with my EU passport getting off a flight from Britain, they ushered me and my friend (with her British passport) through EU passport control. She went via the EU fast lane because she was with me.PrenstSwitch nationality mid-flightAfter having lived in the UK for 18 years, Brexit made it necessary for me to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen. When I now travel to my native Germany, I have to leave the UK on my British passport and arrive in Frankfurt on my German passport. As per German law, I have to use my German ID to enter/leave Germany. I could, of course, enter any other EU country on my British passport, but this would mean queuing and getting an entry stamp and then an exit stamp. When returning to the UK, I then ‘switch’ nationality again in mid-flight from being a German in the EU to being a Brit in the UK.On one occasion, I flew from Tenerife to London… as a German from Tenerife to Madrid and as Brit from Madrid to London.Baldrick’s PlanLegal technicalitiesMy mother is a French citizen, as is all her side of the family, with French government certificates back to the 14th century, but I am refused citizenship (despite also living and paying taxes in France for eight years). Reason: a legal technicality called desuetude. You may want to do some research before handing over a few grand to the lawyers!Frankx33You can’t complain about being considered a foreignerBritain’s approach to the EU always was a “what can I get in return” one… called it cakeism. What matters is being in the slow lane, no longer being able to live and work, etc. Britain would have loved to retain all EU perks without committing. You can’t complain about being considered as a foreigner while being one and expecting the same rights as EU citizens….EuropeancitizenI don’t know what I would have done with just a UK passportGot my precious Irish passport a couple of years ago, thanks to my grandfather, who was born in Ireland. This has allowed me to move from Italy back to France following retirement without any issues. I don’t know what I would have done with just a UK passport, as there is no mechanism for UK passport holders to move from one EU place of residence to another. Farage, Johnson, Gove, etc, should be imprisoned for the lies they told. I cannot believe that Farage is still so popular, says a lot for the intelligence of a good percentage of the UK population. Very sad. YaketyYakKeep the family in one piece with my Irish passportMy father was born in Ireland in 1916. I was born in England in 1944. He was an RAF pilot. I ended up marrying a German and lived happily in Solingen (which my father’s squadron bombed!) until that swine Farage stirred up his sleazy chauvinism. Thanks to my father, I was able to keep the family in one piece with my Irish passport. I am immensely grateful. And to the Germans, too, who have made me very welcome KenhubertHearteningIt is heartening to read the stories of the people who have been able to reclaim the EU citizenship stripped from them by the disgusting and mendacious Brexiteers, who have yet to apologise to the rest of us for stripping us of our rights. SturlusonNot just the youngIt’s not just young people. Us older folk are also going for dual passports after Brexit cut off our travel freedom. My Irish grandfather has now continued to be very useful after his death!JustMeHereSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

British citizens will be required to have their fingerprints scanned whenever they go to the European Union due to delays in the development of digital biometrics software.Every UK passenger entering the Schengen area will need to exit their car to be photographed and fingerprinted individually. A spokesperson for the Port of Dover, which facilitates transit and trade with countries like France and the Netherlands, told The Independent the plans will be rolled out in the autumn.This is because a new biometric entry-check system for non-EU citizens was expected to be implemented last year, but this has been postponed.The Independent initially reported on the delay to the new system at the end of 2024, with suggestions that the demand for fingerprints may quietly be dropped.Every UK passenger entering the Schengen area will need to exit their car to be photographed and fingerprinted individually More

“British holidaymakers will be able to use more e-gates in Europe, ending the dreaded queues at border control” – so says the government after the “post-Brexit reset deal” was agreed between the UK government and the European Union.Ministers have been talking up the prospect of speeding up passport formalities for British travellers at EU airports.Nick Thomas-Symonds, European Union Relations minister, says it will give British travellers “more time to spend on holiday or work trips… doing what you want, not being stuck in queues”.But how will it work – and when might UK passport holders notice? Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, has had plenty of time to contemplate the subject while waiting in long queues at EU airports.What are the rules for UK passport holders travelling to and from the EU?After the 2016 vote to leave the European Union, the UK negotiated for British travellers to be “visa-exempt third-country nationals” – the same as dozens of other nationalities from Australia to Venezuela.Despite some newspaper claims that “Brussels is forcing Brits to queue”, we actually demanded the right to wait in line for longer – surrendering the right to fast-track lanes.While citizens of the EU and the wider Schengen area (including Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) speed through frontier formalities, British passport holders join the “other nations” queue.What does this mean in practice? If you fly into a European airport just after an Airbus A380 arrives from Dubai with more than 500 people on board, you’ll know that you’re going to be waiting for some time.Queuing for an hour or more for British travellers are not unusual at busy airports such as Amsterdam Schiphol, Milan Malpensa and Paris Charles de Gaulle, while holders of EU passports or identity cards speed through. UK travellers also face problems when travelling home, because of the need to be checked on the way out of the EU. Some airline passengers have missed flights because the exit queues for passport control are so slow.Why do passport queues move so slowly?For each UK arrival, EU frontier officials are required to check:The traveller has “sufficient means of subsistence” during the planned visitThey will not breach the maximum stay limit of 90 days in Europe in the past 180 daysThey have “the means to return to the country of origin” (ie a ticket out of the EU)In addition, the border guard must stamp the passport – which is also necessary on departure. What’s different for EU citizens?The Schengen Border Code of the European Union, which is the Bible of frontier rules, stipulates “separate lanes, indicated by uniform signs … in international airports” in order “to reduce the waiting times of persons enjoying the Union right of free movement”.Those separate lanes move quickly because the only check made for EU citizens is that their travel document is valid and that it belongs to them. This verification can be made swiftly and efficiently by e-gates which match the traveller’s face with the biometric information on the travel document.So how will the passport process for UK travellers be improved?British travellers are not currently allowed in the EU fast track queue as arrangements stand, because of two obstacles: The legal requirement for British travellers to be checked to ensure they meet the conditions of entry to the EUUnhappiness among Europeans if the British, who voted to surrender the benefits of membership of the European Union, are allowed to swerve into their lane and slow things downThe solution is to accelerate processing using e-gates – which is already being done.Two versions are currently being offered:Special “third-country national” e-gates, speeding up the face check for British and other nationalities. This happens in Rome.Allowing UK (and other favoured nations) passport holders to use the e-gates for EU citizens and British travellers are then flagged to see a border guard, as is the practice at Amsterdam Schiphol and Lisbon.Using e-gates is a win for the host country as well as for British travellers, because it allows the authorities to process routine passengers more swiftly.Facial recognition is now so sophisticated that matching the traveller against their passport is a task that e-gates can do easily and quickly, leaving officers to concentrate on “persons of interest”.What exactly have UK ministers negotiated?The exact wording is that “British holidaymakers will be able to use more e-gates in Europe” (my italics).The roll-out of e-gates to UK travellers is happening anyway, because it helps the authorities process travellers more efficiently, but that process could accelerate with new impetus from Brussels.But “more e-gates being agreed” and “rejoining the fast track passport queues” are by no means the same thing.Where did the idea that we would actually be able to join those fast-track lane come from?This is all to do with the EU’s much-delayed entry-exit system – which is now due to begin being rolled out in October.The plan involves every Schengen area external border being connected with a central database, with comings and goings registered digitally rather than through stamps in passports. The aim is to keep tabs on arriving and departing travellers and detect over-stayers more easily.Initially it will be something of a nightmare. The EES will require third-country nationals such as British visitors to provide facial biometrics and fingerprints. The time taken to process a planeful of UK passengers arriving at Palma could quadruple – and even longer at Dover and Folkestone for motorists heading across to France.On that subject: ministers and transport companies hope EU officials will accept that the latest facial recognition technology is so accurate that fingerprinting isn’t necessary – which would accelerate the whole process.In time, when the system is fully up and running, it is feasible that British passport holders will be allowed to go through an e-gate with no further check – because the database will know about previous comings and goings.When the Etias “euro-visa” comes online (no less than six months after the entry-exit system is running flawlessly) the digital infrastructure will also be able to verify if the traveller has a valid permit.Any change on the ‘90-day rule’?No. That limit remains firmly in place, and will be made easier to enforce with the entry-exit system.I have an Irish passport. What does this mean for me?Nothing changes: you are still able to use the fast track, and the EU border officer is allowed only to check that your passport is valid and that it belongs to you.For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast More