Runaway road and rail costs trigger investigation

An investigation into Britain's roads and railways has been launched as regulators attempt to tackle runaway costs and lengthy delays.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) unveiled details of the review on Thursday, which has been prompted by widespread frustration about the state of troubled infrastructure projects such as HS2.
The main purpose of the inquiry will be to examine how cheaper infrastructure can be built, while also exploring the way in which public and private sectors work together.
The study is expected to take 10 months, with initial findings published in November.
While it will not give the CMA powers to intervene in the market, it will result in recommendations to the Government.
It comes after a report published in 2023 by campaign group Britain Remade found that the UK was spending up to eight times more on road and railway upgrades than other European countries.
The 2023 study said red tape in the planning sector was largely to blame for the overspend, while it also singled out the impact of Nimby campaigners.
'Appalling mess'
Britain's ailing infrastructure was thrust into the spotlight once again this week when ministers admitted the HS2 high-speed rail project is facing fresh delays beyond its most recent target opening date of 2033.
Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, branded the project an 'appalling mess' after warnings in June last year that its costs could balloon to £66bn.
This will make it one of the most expensive railway lines in the world, she added, despite a major scaling back of the project that saw planned routes to Manchester and Leeds scrapped.
Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C – two major nuclear power plant projects – are also running significantly late and over budget.
The CMA will not include HS2 in its study as the rail project has already been subject to multiple reviews. However, the watchdog said it will consider the full lifecycle of roads and railways, including their enhancement and maintenance.
It comes after the National Infrastructure Commission estimated that public and private sector investment will need to increase by up to 50pc over the next decade to deliver more complex infrastructure.
Road and railway projects account for between 70pc and 75pc of government spending on economic infrastructure, while the civil engineering sector as a whole added £23bn to the UK economy in 2023.
'Decade of national renewal'
Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive, said: 'There's no question that reliable, high-quality infrastructure is critical in accelerating economic growth. To achieve this, public authorities and the civil engineering sector must be able to work together to deliver projects on time, within budget and to high standards.
'This review is a crucial step in identifying barriers holding back the sector – supporting the drive to get Britain building and ensuring every penny spent is delivering value for taxpayers.'
Details of the review have been announced after the Government published its 10-year infrastructure strategy, which earmarked £725bn in funding for maintenance and major projects over the next decade.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, said: 'Infrastructure is crucial to unlocking growth across the country, but for too long investment has been squeezed. Crumbling public buildings are a sign of the decay that has seeped into our everyday lives because of a total failure to plan and invest.
'We're not just fixing buildings – we're enhancing public services, improving lives and creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth in communities throughout the UK.
'This will deliver the decade of national renewal we promised Britain, and fulfil our Plan for Change goals to kickstart economic growth, and build an NHS fit for the future.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

24 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Keir Starmer backs strike by Trump's US on Iran saying its nuclear weapons are 'a grave threat to international security'

Keir Starmer this morning gave British backing to strikes on Iran 's nuclear capabilities by Donald Trump 's America. The Prime Minister said that Tehran's atomic programme was 'a grave threat to international security' after bombers dropped 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs on the Fordow nuclear facility. Sir Keir added that the US had taken action to 'alleviate that threat', having previously urged Trump to use diplomacy instead, warning that military action could cause wider ramifications. Trump last night claimed the attack using B2 steal bombers had been 'a spectacular military success,' something Tehran denied. Reports from the US suggested that the bombers flew direct from the US rather than using the joint UK/US base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. In a statement this morning Sir Keir said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. 'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. 'We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.'

Telegraph

30 minutes ago

• Telegraph

Britain's defeatist attitude ‘has led to reliance on foreign labour'

A 'defeatist' attitude to getting young people into work has left Britain over-reliant on foreign labour, the Business Secretary has said. Jonathan Reynolds hits out at the 'casual' approach taken to packing key sectors such as healthcare, construction and manufacturing with imported workers. In an interview with The Telegraph, he says the UK is 'vulnerable' to global events because 'tremendous skills gaps' have opened up in the domestic workforce. His intervention comes as Labour prepares to publish plans on Monday on how to boost the number of young Britons taking up jobs in areas like defence. Mr Reynolds will publish a 10-year blueprint to train up thousands more school leavers and 'end the over-reliance on foreign labour' in the economy. It comes after new analysis from Oxford University's Migration Observatory showed the proportion of migrant employees in the UK has risen from 12 per cent a decade ago to just under one in five now. At the same time, the number of young Britons who are not in employment, education or training (Neet) has risen sharply to one in seven. The Business Secretary said that the Neet statistic was 'appalling' and that people too often felt that skilled jobs had 'not been available to them and their children'. 'If on key areas the argument is 'we just have to import talent in that sector, we can't train people, we haven't got the money, we haven't got the capacity', I think that's too defeatist and we've got to address that,' he said. 'We cannot have a vibrant, diverse economy, we cannot have a very strong manufacturing base, unless we've got the skills for it and that's why we can't be casual about just importing that.' Monday's industrial strategy announcement will include plans to open a new generation of technical colleges and fund 'cutting-edge' courses in defence and engineering. It will also set out how the Government plans to be more interventionist, 'rather than leaving industry to fend for itself and let the markets decide'. Mr Reynolds said it will help 'ensure British workers can secure good, well-paid jobs in the industries of tomorrow'. He acknowledged that the historically high level of net migration over recent years 'doesn't have public consent' and has created a 'lot of anger'. It was important to remain 'very pro talent coming to the UK' but also ensure migration was 'not the only way we're meeting those skills needs', he added. 'If you think about the tremendous gaps we've got in the skills pipeline in construction, in engineering, defence, that's the reason why the wider sectors that we've picked for the strategy have these packages in there. 'We are vulnerable when the whole world wants these things. I feel previous governments have assumed it doesn't matter if we make anything in the UK – I think that's wrong.' Mr Reynolds said that 'the country has failed' the almost one million 16 to 24-year-olds who are currently classed as Neet. There is 'not just an economic argument' but 'a moral one as well', he said, adding that 'it's a tragedy' if people aren't getting the right opportunities. He backed the proposed £5 billion cuts to benefits, over which No 10 is facing a big Labour rebellion, arguing that 'we've got to be addressing these issues'. 'No young person, unless they obviously have a significant disability or are genuinely not in a position to work, should be choosing or [be] in a position where they're not going into employment or education or training,' he said. 'I go around, it doesn't matter whether it's creative industries, advanced manufacturing, services, energy, and think I'd love my kids to work in any of these sectors. 'I think the number of young people who are Neet is appalling. I don't know how we've allowed that to happen.' Mr Reynolds said the industrial strategy should be judged on whether it helps school leavers 'understand that there are major careers, good jobs for British people'. 'The skills are about new careers for thousands of British people. Business needs that, I think the country needs that,' he said. 'Part of the conversation this week has been about the number of people on disability benefits in the UK, some of whom are in work, I do recognise that. 'But we've we've got to be addressing these issues for business, and we've got to be addressing them for people's lives themselves.' He also insisted that, whilst defending UK industry, the strategy will not represent 'nostalgia for the past' or a 'protectionist and 1970s orientated' approach. The Business Secretary, who has recently struck landmark trade deals with the US and India, said he would take a more cautious approach with China. He said that he has repeatedly brought up the dumping of steel on the global market at below production value in 'candid' discussions with Beijing. 'Whatever people think of the US administration, they have a point on the reciprocity of trade, if one part of the world is producing a lot of what the world makes and doesn't consume itself a reflective share of that,' he said. 'These big global imbalances, this isn't really how the global economy is supposed to function. 'So an obvious thing for us would be, is a country like China willing to let our brilliant service industries operate freely as we allow some countries to operate in the UK? That's a question for China.'

BBC News

40 minutes ago

• BBC News

Cumbria analogue phase-out 'would be curtains for me' in a crisis

People in rural parts of Cumbria have said they will be left unable to call for help in an emergency when analogue phones are phased phones still work in a power cut via an electric current from the telephone Bondi, from Alston Moor, said it would be "curtains" for her if she had no analogue phone and she was unable to drive in a companies such as BT say they are making the change because the old copper network is increasingly prone to faults and digital phones are more reliable. A BT spokesperson encouraged customers to get in touch to discuss a "solution". The industry is aiming to switch almost all customers to digital landlines, which use the internet, by the end of January Bondi, who lives a mile from the nearest property, has an analogue phone for said power cuts could last up to four days in her area and added local mobile phone coverage usually failed when outages what she would do without the analogue phone in a crisis, she said, "Who knows?""If the emergency meant that I wasn't able to drive, that really would be curtains for me," she said. 'Not fit for purpose' The Labour MP for Penrith and Solway Markus Campbell-Savours has called for a delay to the said: "I want to know, is there some way we can give those people who are vulnerable a piece of kit where they can raise alarm?" Phone companies have offered battery packs to vulnerable customers to use as a temporary power source, but they last for hours rather than days.A spokesperson for BT said the move to digital landlines was "necessary" because the analogue network had become "increasingly prone to faults and is no longer fit for purpose".They added: "We encourage customers who have any concerns to get in touch. There is a solution for everyone." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.