St. Pancras

How HS2 caused the UK to lose focus on 'levelling up' during years of high-speed rail delays

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

Pressure on the UK government to confirm its plans for the controversial HS2 high-speed rail project is growing as the Conservative party prepares for its annual conference.

Key Points: 
  • Pressure on the UK government to confirm its plans for the controversial HS2 high-speed rail project is growing as the Conservative party prepares for its annual conference.
  • Much of the country is keen to hear about the fate of HS2.
  • The UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, are weighing up the rising costs versus the benefits of HS2.

The rising costs of HS2

    • Over the decade since 2013, when construction commenced on the first phase of HS2, it has come under regular scrutiny because of rising costs.
    • At £300 million per mile, this is considerably higher than typical costs for constructing high-speed rail in Europe, according to analysis by The Times.
    • With an estimated cost of £37.5 billion in 2013 (at 2009 prices), HS2 represented considerable public investment to achieve what’s now commonly referred to as “levelling up”.
    • Government support for HS2 to achieve wealth creation outside the capital continued, however.
    • The David Cameron-led government supposedly saw HS2 as a “counterbalance” to extreme “local austerity”.

Unachievable

    • According to leaked analysis carried out by the DfT last year, increasing costs means HS2 will “deliver just 90 pence in economic benefit for every £1 it costs”.
    • But these links could be built faster and cheaper than HS2.

How can a French protester be arrested under British terrorism laws in London? The alarming 'schedule 7' power explained

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 21, 2023

The arrest and charging of a French publisher as he arrived in London has raised serious questions about the use and abuse of power in the UK.

Key Points: 
  • The arrest and charging of a French publisher as he arrived in London has raised serious questions about the use and abuse of power in the UK.
  • Moret was stopped under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, one of the most controversial counter-terrorist powers in the UK.

What is schedule 7?

    • In contrast, ordinary powers of arrest or stop and search do require that police have reasonable suspicion first before they exercise these powers.
    • If you are stopped under schedule 7, you must comply with an examination, which includes handing over documents and any other information requested.
    • It would not be lawful to use it to stop someone for another type of crime, say, possessing drugs or trespassing.

What is terrorism?

    • It would be perverse to say a bomb that killed people was a terrorist attack but the bomb that only damaged a building was not.
    • In other words, damage doesn’t have to be inflicted using bombs or firearms to amount to terrorism.
    • What about cutting off the head of a statue in protest at the UK’s public institutions’ failure to grapple with its slave-trading legacy?
    • Most people would probably think that we know terrorism when we see it but trying to legally define terrorism is notoriously difficult.

Freedom of expression

    • In 2013 David Miranda, husband of journalist Glenn Greenwald, was detained at Heathrow airport carrying files related to information obtained by US whistleblower Edward Snowden.
    • While the Court of Appeal did find that he had been lawfully detained, it also found that schedule 7 failed to adequately protect journalists’ right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.
    • However, this seems not to have been sufficient to protect Moret from being detained and then arrested for non-compliance with schedule 7.
    • While certain elements of the protests in France have turned violent, protest is, nevertheless, fundamental to a democracy.

iProov and Eurostar Launch Trial to Provide Contactless Travel at London St Pancras International

Retrieved on: 
Monday, December 6, 2021
Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211205005029/en/
    iProov and Eurostar announce contactless travel trial is live at London St Pancras International (Photo: Business Wire)
    SmartCheck enables passengers to complete secure ticket verification and UK exit check on their mobile devices prior to travel.
  • On arrival at St Pancras International station, passengers proceed through a dedicated SmartCheck lane.
  • The brand new contactless travel technology from iProov and Eurostar is a window into the future of border control, of smoother, more seamless and convenient journeys.
  • Eurostar is the high-speed passenger service linking London St. Pancras International with city centre stations in mainland Europe, via the Channel Tunnel.