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Northern Powerhouse Rail plans delayed again

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Faisal IslamEconomics editor

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Plans to extend high-speed rail across the north of England have been delayed further and will not now be announced by the prime minister at the Labour Party conference next week.

The BBC understands concerns over the long-term costs of the line earmarked between Liverpool and Manchester have pushed back the revival of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

An announcement had been expected on multiple occasions in recent months, but insiders said an extended review process of the project was under way in a bid to avoid mistakes made with HS2, which has been dogged by problems and costly delays.

Downing Street and the Treasury have been approached for comment.

The idea of Northern Powerhouse Rail was first put forward by former Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2014.

A new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester is seen a central piece of the overall Northern Powerhouse rail project, which is aimed at cutting travel times between northern cities and towns as well as boosting the UK economy outside of London.

Parts of the scheme have been downgraded and changed by various governments but Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in June she would “set out” plans to “take forward our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail….in the coming weeks”.

A plan had been expected at the time of the June Spending Review, then the government’s infrastructure strategy unveiling, and then in the publication of a pipeline of key infrastructure projects, but no announcements have been made to date.

Northern mayors were reassured by indications that plans for the new rail line alongside a “Northern corridor” regeneration plan would occur before or at the Labour Party conference.

Some insiders told the BBC it had been planned as a central announcement for the Liverpool conference in Sir Keir Starmer’s speech before an intervention in the past fortnight.

Lucy Powell and Angela Rayner, who had been the project’s biggest champions in the cabinet, are no longer ministers.

The Department of Transport is understood to have proposed a specific plan to the Treasury, in order to release preparatory and development funds worth up to £1.5bn to allow for building work to begin around 2030.

But it is understood more time is being taken to process an “extended tyre kicking” of the plans to ensure that the project has been fully scoped out before pushing ahead – a HS2 mistake the government wants to avoid.

HS2 has been beset by setbacks, leading to missed deadlines and ballooning costs, and will now only run from London to Birmingham, with previous plans to go further north scrapped.

In June, the government said the opening of HS2 would be delayed beyond the target date of 2033, but it did not say when the high speed line will begin operating.

Value for money?

A particular issue is whether the Treasury believes that connecting Manchester Airport to the centre of Manchester, a part of Northern Powerhouse Rail which overlapped with part of the cancelled HS2 Phase 2, represents value for money.

It had been a key part of the project’s benefits, allowing easy access to the airport from across the north of England.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has previously called on the government to push ahead with the Liverpool to Manchester rail line, and has jointly proposed a route with Steve Rotheram, which includes Manchester Airport.

In response to the plans being delayed again, a source close to Burnham told the BBC: “Any more tyre kicking and there will be no tyre left.”

In August, the boss of Manchester Airport Chris Woodroofe said poor transport links across northern England were holding back its economic potential. He said Northern Powerhouse Rail would be vital to boosting investment and exports for northern businesses.

When HS2 Phase 2 was cancelled by former prime minister Rishi Sunak two years ago, £12bn of its budget was saved for this part of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

But the architect of the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2, Andrew Gilligan, recently wrote a report for the centre right think tank Policy Exchange, calling for Northern Powerhouse Rail to be scrapped.

The report was backed by Reform, whose deputy leader Richard Tice warned companies “not to bother” bidding for contracts.

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New laws needed to tackle Russian ‘shadow-fleet’ threat, says Department of Defence official

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The Government is to examine new legislation to address the growing number of Russian “shadow-fleet” vessels passing through Irish-controlled waters.

Department of Defence secretary general Jacqui McCrum said the move was one of a number of measures being taken by her department to counter potential hybrid threats to Irish underwater infrastructure such as gas pipelines and communications cables.

Ms McCrum made the comments at an event held by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), the Dublin-based think tank, examining risks to subsurface infrastructure.

Simon Coveney, the event’s chair and former tánaiste and minister for defence, said 75 per cent of transatlantic cables “come through or very close to” Irish-controlled waters.

More than 80 per cent of gas used in Ireland comes through underwater pipes from Scotland, while there were plans to build enough offshore infrastructure to generate 37 gigawatts of electricity by 2050, he said.

“So this economy, this island and our people, are extremely vulnerable to potential threats to that core infrastructure that surrounds our own,” Mr Coveney said.

Ms McCrum said the “increasingly volatile geopolitical situation” highlighted the vulnerabilities of Irish undersea infrastructure.

“Indeed, as you know, Russian intelligence vessels and vessels of the shadow fleet have been seen in our waters.”

Russia has been using vessels registered in other countries to transport oil in an effort to bypass sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine. These vessels, which have also been accused of damaging undersea cables in EU waters, are known collectively as the shadow fleet.

In July, an Irish Times investigation found a large increase in the number of shadow fleet vessels transiting through Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including some engaged in unusual behaviour such as taking economically inefficient routes or sailing well outside recognised shipping lanes.

Ms McCrum said that, along with the new Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Rossa Mulcahy, she is preparing advice for the attorney general to strengthen legislation in this area.

The current legislation was created “in a different time and the threats are completely different now,” she said.

International legislation is unclear as to what action states can take against falsely flagged vessels in their waters.

Vessels typically have a right of passage through countries’ EEZ. However, some experts argue this is not be valid if a ship is flying a fraudulent flag or failing to comply with safety or environmental requirements.

The secretary general said she is examining how the process of legislative reform can be accelerated and done “quickly and urgently”.

Former Defence Forces Chief of Staff Mark Mellett said Russia’s shadow fleet activity was part of its hybrid activity toolbox and that it operates “in the gaps” of international maritime law.

More needers to be done to tighten up regulations in this area, the retired vice-admiral said.

“It may be a requirement for international institutions to meet and be more robust in the context of how you deal with this,” he said.

Ms McCrum said her department has created a new maritime security unit to lead in this area and that a maritime security strategy is currently being drafted, having completed its public consultation phase.

Work is also ongoing on acquiring sonar technology to allow Naval Service vessels detect what is operating under the sea. She said the procurement process of this technology has been greatly accelerated.

“This capability will be used to detect objects near cables and pipelines in Irish territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone,” she said.

She said the Department was also examining the prospect of using unmanned vessels to monitor Irish waters.

Ms McCrum pointed to comments by the head of the UK Royal Navy that every ship going to sea will have two unmanned vessels on board.

“So we need to look at that,” she said.

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A Michael Flatley press event was packed out today – but he’s back talking dancing, not politics

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DOES 30 YEARS of the same live dance musical performance not eventually get a little stale?

According to Michael Flatley, the Irish-American Lord of the Dance himself, it does not.

Ahead of the 30th anniversary of his hit stage production, Flatley was speaking in Dublin city today, across the road from the stage where the Lord of the Dance all began – the venue now known as the 3Arena but still commonly referred to by Dubliners as ‘The Point’.

Speaking to a room of reporters at the Gibson Hotel, Flatley explained that the hit musical show is not the same production that it was in 1996.


Michael Flatley picutred during the press event today. Photorapher / Photocall Ireland


Photorapher / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

“There’s a brand new set and a fabulous new lighting design, there’s new sound designs, new musical numbers, and a couple of new dance numbers,” Flatley said.

Interest in the anniversary performance is clearly high – the press conference was packed, with reporters lining a corridor afterwards for quick one-on-one chats with the now-retired superhoofer. 

A press statement passed around to the dozens of journalists in attendance humbly stated that Flatley “changed the face of Irish dance forever” with Riverdance, before moving on to the Lord of the Dance the following year.

Since its premiere just two years after Flatley’s iconic Riverdance performance as part of the 1994 Eurovision interval act, the Lord of the Dance has been viewed by over 60 million people across 60 countries.

Flatley parted company with the Riverdance producers just over a year after the Eurovision set-piece in a row over credit for the choreography of the show’s touring production. 

Lord of the Dance debuted in The Point in July of 1996 and went on to tour the world. An expanded version of the show was peformed to tens of thousands of people in London’s Hyde Park in 1998. 

According to Flatley, over 500 people from around the world attended the most recent round of auditions to join the show.

“I’m endlessly proud of those people. We had auditions recently here in Dublin, and my God, they were so prepared, it was very difficult to choose one from the other.”

On his new dancers, Flatley said that they’re “like I’ve never seen them.”

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A number of dancers who are set to perform in the anniversary gig. Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland


Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

“They’re bouncing off the walls, because this is what they work for. They just performed in South Africa a few weeks ago, on the opening night they got a 10 minute standing ovation.”

Flatley, now aged 67, will not be making an appearance in the show.

Does he miss performing?

“How could I not miss it? Of course, I do, I always will,” he said.

“There’s a hologram toward the end of the show of me performing that I recorded just before I retired back in 2016. The audience seems to love it, but that’s as close as I’ll get to being back on stage.”

Áras bid

Seperately, it was confirmed today that just three candidates – Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin – will be contesting the presidential election.

Was it a coincidence that Flatley held the press conference today, as nominations closed, considering he had mulled over a run for the Áras himself earlier this summer?

Yes, of course it was, but Flatley did address his potential Áras bid.

“I’m sure the right person will take that job,” Flatley said. “These things are in the hands of God.”

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Flatley pictured with two performers from the anniversary show. Photorapher / Photocall Ireland


Photorapher / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Flatley is still receiving treatment for an aggressive cancer which he was diagnosed with two years ago.

He added that he could not “in good conscience” run for the presidency if he did not have “a clean bill of health”.

“If I did, it might have been different, but it wouldn’t be fair to the Irish people,” he added.

“You can’t lose track of the fact that this is for the Irish people. It’s not about me. It’s not about the individual, it’s for the Irish people.

“What do they want? It’s not up to me. My job is to represent my country to the best of my ability, and I believe under the current circumstances, I can better serve the Irish people by continuing to do what I do.

“If that ever changes, that’ll be the first thought in my brain.”

The Lord of the Dance will return to the 3Arena on 5 February to mark its 30th anniversary. Tickets will range from €30 to €80, and go on sale next week.

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Twenty injured in Yemen drone attack on Israel, rescuers and military say

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24 September 2025

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Rescuers say at least 20 people have been injured in southern Israel after the Israeli military said a drone was launched from Yemen.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the drone struck the resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea coast, with attempts made to intercept it.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said 20 people were taken to Yoseftal Hospital – including two men with serious limb injuries.

Israeli media has described it as a Houthi strike but the Yemeni group has not officially claimed responsibility.

Israeli TV stations broadcast live footage said to be of the drone strike and the area it hit, which showed billowing smoke rising from the site.

Footage posted on social media, verified by the BBC, shows a drone in the sky disappearing out of view as it flies down behind buildings. A few moments later, birds scatter as they fly up into the sky.

“IDF troops, alongside the Israel Police, were dispatched to the area of Eilat after receiving a report of a UAV attack,” the IDF said in a statement.

It added troops and the police were assisting in evacuating the area and a helicopter had been deployed to evacuate the wounded from the scene.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “Wishing a full recovery to those injured in the UAV strike in Eilat.

“The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon and Gaza – and will learn the hard way.

“Anyone who harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold.”

The army earlier said air raid sirens had rung through the town.

The attack, if claimed by the Houthis, would be one of the most serious launched by the group in terms of casualties.

In July 2024, one person was killed and 10 injured in a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv when a drone hit an apartment building near the US embassy branch office.

Eilat, popular with tourists, has been the location of other recent drone attacks, with one striking the town’s hotel area last week, according to Israeli authorities. No casualties were reported.

Earlier in September, one person was wounded when a Houthi drone hit Ramon Airport, just north of Eilat.

The rebel Houthi group has been launching missiles and drones towards Israel as part of what it describes as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis have also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the war in Gaza.

The Iranian-backed rebel group, which considers Israel its enemy, controls Sanaa and the north-west of Yemen, but is not the country’s internationally recognised government.

Israel has retaliated by bombing Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the Red Sea port of Hudaydah.

Earlier in September, the Houthi-run health ministry said 35 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Sanaa and al-Jawf province.

And in August, the group said its self-proclaimed Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli air strike.

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