Heidi Alexander vowed Burnham’s Labour is committed to ‘putting essential services back in public hands, connecting people to opportunity and delivering growth in every postcode’
Heidi Alexander’s announcement will have been welcomed by Brit commuters(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Avanti West Coast services will be nationalised from March next year, the Transport Secretary has announced.
Heidi Alexander said “enough is enough” as she vowed to end poor service for rail passengers using the train service. The Government on Sunday announced it will take control of Avanti West Coast’s services from March 7, as part of a wider drive to put essential services back in public control.
Avanti West Coast passengers have been experiencing frequent disruption on one of the country’s busiest routes for years.
Performance remains behind the industry average with passengers frequently frustrated by delays and cancellations. Infrastructure issues along the West Coast Main Line resulting from long-term underinvestment are the biggest cause of disruption for passengers, ministers said.
Ms Alexander said: “For years, we’ve heard stories of Avanti underperforming, with passengers left paying the price. Enough is enough.
“That is why we will bring Avanti into public ownership at the earliest opportunity, in March next year. This Labour government is committed to putting essential services back in public hands, connecting people to opportunity and delivering growth in every postcode – and this move reflects that commitment.”
“We will also introduce a comprehensive improvement plan, focused on delivering for passengers, not shareholders.” The government is on track to complete all public ownership transfers by the end of 2027 ahead of setting up Great British Railways.
The news comes after the Culture Secretary suggested tech firms could earn an exemption to an incoming UK social media ban if they make their platforms safe for under 16s.
In a panel at Labour conference, Lisa Nandy said social media giants could get themselves removed from a list of banned platforms if they tackle unsafe features. The Cabinet minister said ministers will draw up a list of existing applications that will face restrictions but that they would also look at “safety by design” and a “safety by feature-led approach”.
“We’re going to do proper, comprehensive legislation so that it doesn’t just incorporate the specific apps, it incorporates the features that we believe are not safe,” Ms Nandy told the event, which was hosted by the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF).
“So there will be a way for companies, if they want to innovate and they want to change, to be able to get themselves essentially off that list. But that’s up to them.
“We believe that’s their choice. They can decide to innovate if they want to, and we believe they should because we think they have their social and moral obligations. But whether they do it or not, the government has an obligation here and we intend to act.”
