Some new cities in England to be constructed on greenfield websites, housing minister says – UK politics dwell | Politics

Good morning. At PMQs yesterday Ed Davey, the Lib Dem chief, stated that 80 years in the past “British, Canadian and American troopers have been preventing shoulder to shoulder to defeat fascists” however that President Trump “appears to have forgotten all that” as he takes overseas coverage choice.

It seems that Davey was flawed. Trump has a really sturdy sense of who was on America’s aspect throughout world struggle two. “We each mirrored on the Nice Historical past of our Nations, and the truth that we fought so efficiently collectively in World Struggle II, remembering, that Russia misplaced tens of tens of millions of individuals,” Trump stated yesterday, in his readout of his name with President Putin.

That was the decision with ominious implications for Ukraine, as America in impact known as time on the period when it used to ensure the safety of western Europe. Keir Starmer is doing a go to this morning and, as is regular at these occasions, he’s anticipated to take transient questions from broadcasters on the primary tales of the day. Tales don’t get any extra “essential” than this one.

We shall be protecting the Starmer interviews right here, however that is primarily a global story and Jakub Krupa is main the protection of this on his Europe dwell weblog.

Starmer can also be requested in regards to the financial system, and the expansion figures out this morning, exhibiting that the financial system grew by a modest 0.1% within the ultimate quarter of 2024. That’s not gangbusters territory, however it’s an enchancment on the earlier quarter, when the financial system was flat. There have been fears they financial system may even shrink within the ultimate three months of the yr.

Graeme Wearden is main on this on his enterprise dwell weblog.

There’s a slight likelihood that Starmer could even be requested a query in regards to the authorities’s plans for brand new cities, which is supposedly the rationale for the go to. As Pippar Crerar studies, the federal government is saying that as much as 12 new cities shall be underneath building in England by the following election after 100 potential places have been recognized for them.

Full particulars of the announcement are right here. Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, has been giving interviews in regards to the plans this morning, and he informed Sky Information that a number of the new cities shall be construct on greenfield websites.

Requested whether or not a number of the building can be on greenfield land, Pennycook replied:

There shall be some, I’m positive, really helpful standalone greenfield websites.

There shall be a lot of different, what are known as city extensions, however massive expansions of current cities and cities the place that’s acceptable.

There’s bought to be sustainable locations, as I say, they’ve bought to be well-connected, well-designed.

We’ll see what the taskforce suggest in its ultimate report in the summertime … ministers will then take the ultimate choice on which of them go ahead.

Right here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: NHS England publishes its month-to-month efficiency figures.

9.30am: Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, takes questions within the Commons.

Morning: Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner are on a go to within the south-east England to advertise the federal government’s plans for brand new cities.

Morning: David Lammy, the overseas secretary, has a gathering in London along with his Chinese language counterpart, Wang Yi.

11.30am: Downing Road holds a foyer briefing.

Additionally, Nato defence ministers are assembly in Brussels immediately. John Healey is there for the UK and he is because of converse to reporters this afternoon.

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