logo
South Western first rail firm renationalised by Labour

South Western first rail firm renationalised by Labour

Yahoo25-05-2025
South Western Railway (SWR) has been renationalised, making it the first train company to transfer to public ownership under Labour.
The first nationalised service will leave at 05:36 from Woking to Surbiton though it will be partially covered by a rail replacement bus service.
The government has hailed the move as a "new dawn for rail" but it held back from promising lower fares, focusing more on plans to improve services and use profits to reinvest in infrastructure.
Unions have expressed concerns over outsourcing to private companies, while the opposition Conservatives said Labour must "deliver on their promises".
SWR trains are now the responsibility of DfT (Department for Transport) Operator and will be integrated into Great British Railways (GBR), which will oversee all railway infrastructure.
GBR will not officially exist until MPs vote to create it, which looks set to be in the autumn.
On a visit to a train depot in Bournemouth earlier, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the nationalisation of SWR as a "real watershed moment".
Asked whether prices would go down for passengers, she told the BBC she could not promise lower fares, but assured passengers they would get "great value for money".
Alexander is expected to travel on the first fully rail-operated route from London Waterloo to Shepperton in Surrey at 06:14.
It will be the first service with the new GBR livery. The words "Great British Railways" and "coming soon" are painted in white against a royal blue background decorated with part of a union flag.
Two more rail firms, C2C and Greater Anglia, will be brought into public ownership later this year.
Four major operators have already been brought under public ownership under previous Conservative governments - East Coast Mainline, TransPennine, Northern and South Eastern (LNER).
Seven more companies will be renationalised by 2027 as each of their contracts end – or sooner if their performance is judged to be unacceptable.
These are:
West Midlands Trains
East Midlands Railway
Avanti West Coast
CrossCountry
Chiltern Railways
Govia Thameslink Railway
Great Western
Current government plans are to renationalise nearly all passenger rail services across England, Wales and Scotland by 2030, proposals which have been attacked the Conservatives.
Shadow Transport Secretary Gareth Bacon said: "Labour have talked up the benefits of renationalisation for years and they will now have to deliver on their promises of lower ticket prices, an end to all disruption and strikes and better onboard services. The alternative is that, as usual, British taxpayers have to foot the bill for Labour."
The RMT Union welcomed SWR's nationalisation but said it was concerned about outsourcing to private firms.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "Public ownership of South Western Railway is a major step forward and is a clear rejection of the failed privatisation model.
"But the job is incomplete when our contracted-out members remain outsourced and not reaping the benefits of nationalisation."
The government said it could not promise fares would be cheaper despite significant cost savings through renationalisation but any additional money would be invested in making services better.
Whitehall sources have told the BBC ministers hope to find ways to cut the cost of rail travel but it is impossible to make promises before GBR is formally established and services renationalised.
What difference will rail nationalisation make?
Rail fares to rise despite renationalisation plans
Will Labour's plan make train tickets cheaper?
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

More than 200 MPs call for Britain to recognise Palestine as a state amid starvation in Gaza
More than 200 MPs call for Britain to recognise Palestine as a state amid starvation in Gaza

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

More than 200 MPs call for Britain to recognise Palestine as a state amid starvation in Gaza

Some 221 MPs from across different political parties have joined forces to call on the Government to recognise a Palestinian state. The MPs urge the Government to take the step ahead of a United Nations conference in New York next week. This follows France's announcement on Thursday evening it will formally recognise Palestine at a UN summit in September. The MPs' letter, co-ordinated by Sarah Champion – Labour chairwoman of the International Development Select Committee, said: 'We are expectant that the outcome of the conference will be the UK Government outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment on a two-state solution; as well as how it will work with international partners to make this a reality.' Parliamentarians from Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents are among those who signed the letter. Senior signatories include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury, the Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh, Parliament's longest-serving MP. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. Rotherham MP Ms Champion acknowledged 'recognition alone will not end the suffering in Gaza or the rapid expansion of settlements and settler violence in the West Bank'. But she said it would be an important step on the path towards a two-state solution to end the war. The Labour MP added: 'Recognition would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people, that they are not alone and they need to maintain hope that there is a route that leads to lasting peace and security for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people.' Ministers have faced growing calls to recognise a Palestinian state immediately amid mounting global anger over the starving population in Gaza. Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday evening that such a move needed to be part of the 'pathway' to peace in the Middle East, which he and allies are working towards. 'That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace,' the Prime Minister said. He added: 'Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis. The PM also said: 'The appalling scenes in Gaza are unrelenting. 'The continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel's disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible. In a statement released on Friday alongside the leaders of France and Germany, the Prime Minister urged 'all parties to bring an end to the conflict by reaching an immediate ceasefire'. Sir Keir, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for Israel to stop restricting the flow of aid into Gaza. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security. As he left for Scotland on Friday, US President Donald Trump suggested that Mr Macron's announcement that France would recognise Palestinian statehood was unimportant. 'What he says doesn't matter', Mr Trump told reporters at the White House. Sir Keir will meet the US president during his five-day private trip to Scotland, due to kick off on Friday. US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Hamas-led militants based in Gaza abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed about 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between militants and civilians.

NatWest on high alert over wealthy exodus risk
NatWest on high alert over wealthy exodus risk

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

NatWest on high alert over wealthy exodus risk

NatWest executives are on high alert over the potential exit of wealthy customers from Britain after Rachel Reeves's changes to non-dom rules. Paul Thwaite, chief executive, said the bank was monitoring the impact of Labour's policies on rich customers 'very closely' as he suggested tax rises could force its millionaire customers to leave. NatWest owns Coutts, the centuries-old private bank for wealthy individuals. Often referred to as the 'King's bank', it has thousands of rich customers with upwards of £3m in spare savings. Speaking on Friday, Mr Thwaite said: 'We're not at this stage seeing any meaningful change in terms of behaviour, but that customer base is very alive to policy change, be that tax or regulatory. 'We're monitoring very closely, but no meaningful change at this stage.' His comments come as thousands of millionaires have left the UK since Labour entered power last year in the largest exodus of rich people from any country in over a decade. According to research by Henley & Partners, 16,500 high-net-worth individuals will leave the UK this year because of the non-dom abolition by Ms Reeves. An overhaul of Britain's non-dom regime and more stringent inheritance tax rules have made Britain less appealing for wealthy foreigners, with some warning the crackdown risks creating the perception that the UK Government is hostile to wealthy people. Since the changes were introduced a number of high-profile figures have left, including Goldman Sachs' Richard Gnodde, Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris and Norwegian shipping billionaire John Fredriksen. 'Strong economies need strong banks' There was no obvious sign of stress at NatWest from the changes, with its private banking and wealth management – which includes Coutts – reporting a 44pc rise in half-year operating profit versus a year ago to £201m. 'We're very pleased with the performance of Coutts and the wealth business. It does have some international clients though,' Mr Thwaite said. The Liverpudlian chief, who replaced Dame Alison Rose as chief executive two years ago, also warned that any hit to Britain's banks risks harming the country's economy. He said that Labour should be 'thoughtful about any signals that they can send in respect of policy'. He said: 'My view is strong economies need strong banks. I really want to use the bank's capital to invest in the business and also support customers. 'Ultimately, as I've said, that that will be beneficial to the UK. What's very important, from an investor perspective, is they have consistency, stability and predictability.' NatWest launched a £750m share buyback scheme and said it would pay out another £768m to shareholders as an interim dividend after the bank posted better-than-expected profits. NatWest reported pre-tax profits of £1.8bn for the second quarter of 2025, compared to £1.7bn last year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Vital charity could be forced to close branch in Bournemouth
Vital charity could be forced to close branch in Bournemouth

Yahoo

time14 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Vital charity could be forced to close branch in Bournemouth

A VITAL charity could be forced to close in Bournemouth after the organisation has said its current business model is 'not sustainable'. Samaritans is consulting with branches and will be closing around 100 of its more than 200 locations across the UK and Republic of Ireland as early as April next year. The UK-based charity that provides confidential, emotional support to anyone struggling to cope, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, insisted its volunteers will continue to be available as usual. The Bournemouth branch has been open since 1961 and was the sixth branch to open outside of Central London. In 2024, volunteers in Bournemouth responded to more than 18,000 calls and around 7,000 emails. The charity's chief executive Julie Bentley said: 'We are engaging with our volunteers on proposed improvements that will mean we are able to answer more calls, have more volunteers on duty, and be there for more people in their darkest moments." She added it had "become increasingly clear" having over 200 branches is "not sustainable" and is preventing the charity from providing the best possible service. If you are struggling, you can call Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at jo@ or visit to find your nearest branch.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store