Furious leaders demand free Commons vote as Johnson slashes rail plans

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( November 19, 2021 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [PM accused of ‘betrayal’ as more than 20 million lose out on high-speed rail he vowed would ‘level up’ UK]( More than 20 million Britons will miss out on promised rail improvements after ministers revealed in full their plans to dump or downgrade key projects, including two new rail lines across the north. The government was accused of a “betrayal” as it broke a manifesto pledge to build the HS3 line, between Manchester and Leeds, and the eastern leg of HS2, serving the Midlands and Yorkshire. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the cuts would leave the north of England behind “for the next 100 years”. 2 / [Priti Patel accused of ‘patronising’ voters with ‘unworkable’ policies to stop Channel crossings]( Former ministers say ‘macho-sounding’ asylum proposals will never come to fruition 3 / [India withdraws three controversial farm laws after more than a year of protest, announces Narendra Modi]( Reforms to greater privatise industry had sparked protests among hundreds of thousands of farmers across the country 4 / [More British troops deployed to guard Polish border amid Belarus migrant crisis]( About 100 soldiers from Royal Engineers reportedly being sent to help reinforce frontier 5 / [Azeem Rafiq apologises after historical antisemitic text messages emerge]( Former cricketer ‘deeply ashamed’ for remarks and is a ‘different person today’ The Big Question What do the new HS2 and HS3 rail plans means for passengers? The prime minister says the government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) constitutes “the biggest transport investment programme in a century”. [Boris Johnson]( claims it will deliver “meaningful transport connections for more passengers across the country, more quickly”. He says: “With both high-speed journeys and better local services, it will ensure no town or city is left behind.” The government has promised “journey times which are the same as, similar to or faster than the original [HS2]( and Leeds-Manchester proposals”. The Independent has analysed the plans. “Three new high-speed lines”. Two of these have already been announced. One is the western leg of HS2, which has already been planned. The second is a spur from the Interchange station near Birmingham airport in the West Midlands to East Midlands Parkway – a much-curtailed version of the eastern leg of HS2. The third is “[Northern Powerhouse Rail](” across the Pennines between Leeds and Manchester. This involves 40 miles of new high-speed line between Warrington, Manchester and Marsden – about 15 miles northeast of Manchester and just inside West Yorkshire. Trains will have to reverse at Manchester Piccadilly. The electrification between Liverpool and York, originally announced a decade ago, has been re-announced. [Read the full story >]( Watch / [Liverpool bomb attack: Forensic investigators search a property in Sutcliffe Street]( NUMBER OF THE DAY £600 A bin storage room in Manchester with chipboard fittings and no windows was advertised on property websites as a “studio flat” available to rent for £600 a month. It was quickly removed from Rightmove and OpenRent after it was widely mocked on social media. QUOTE OF THE DAY “I am ashamed of this exchange and have now deleted it so as not to cause further offence. I was 19 at the time and I hope and believe I am a different person today. I am incredibly angry at myself and I apologise to the Jewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this.” – Former cricketer Azeem Rafiq has issued an apology after a text message conversation emerged in which he used antisemitic slurs when discussing another cricketer in 2011 Other stories you might like [First known Covid case was vendor at Wuhan animal market, finds new analysis]( [Oklahoma governor stops execution with last-minute decision for life sentence]( [Lunar eclipse of Beaver ‘blood’ Moon will be longest in 580 years]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.