Labour has said it will look at stripping Avanti West Coast of its contract, if elected next month, due to the company’s “woeful service”.
Ahead of the upcoming General Election due to take place on Thursday 4 July, Labour and its leader,Sir Keir Starmer, have been outlining the Party’s vision for the both the immediate and long-term future of the country – and now, Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, has been having her say on a topic that continues to affect many Greater Manchester residents.
Avanti has been operating the West Coast Main Line service – which is one of the most important railway corridors in the UK – since December 2019 after taking over from Virgin, and was controversially awarded a long-term contract to continue operation in September of last year.
Before this, the train companyhad previously been given until 1 April 2023 to continue running the route from London to Glasgow, but had been told due to its chaotic past that it needed to “drastically improve” its services if it was to stand any chance of having the contract extended further beyond that date.
Labour says it will look at stripping ‘woeful’ Avanti West Coast of its contract if elected / Credit: Avanti West Coast | Flickr
Office of Rail and Road figures show that Avanti West Coast had the third-worst reliability of all operators in Britain in the year to the end of March – with the equivalent of one in 15 trains (6.9%) cancelled.
Despite many customers continuing to voice discontent with level of services during this time, the Department for Transport (DfT) still went on to award Avanti another six-month contract extension from the start of April onwards, after it deemed “significant improvements had been made since October”.
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Following DfT reviews, once again, Avanti’s long-term contract to operate the line was subsequently awarded in mid-September 2023.
When asked about Avanti West Coast’s future, and pressed on Labour’s plan to bring train services into public ownership during an interview with Kay Burley on Sky News yesterday morning (13 June), Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh explained: “Our commitment is to bring in those contracts as they expire or when they are breached.
‘No ifs, not buts, October 2026 will be the last date Avanti will have notice of that contract coming to expire’.
“I anticipate I will be seeking advice early on whether Avanti has been in breach of its contract, given the woeful service that it’s been providing to passengers down the West Coast Main Line.”
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Ms Haigh then insisted that October 2026 would be Avanti’s cut-off date, if Labour’s elected.
“No ifs, no buts, October 2026 will be the last date Avanti will have notice of that contract ending,” she added, “But I will ask for early advice about whether they have already breached their contract and whether it can be brought in any earlier.”
Labour’s voicing of its intent to strip Avanti West Coast of its contract also comes after the Party announced its vision to transform the country’s childcare and early years education system earlier this week.
Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.
Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.
The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.
Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.
These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.
The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.
The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.
Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum
“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.
“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”
A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.
Following this, the books will be made accessible to researchers, students, and the wider public at the John Rylands Library.
Featured Image – Chris Bull (via Manchester Museum)
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Channel 4 to air exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater
Emily Sergeant
An exclusive new documentary taking an inside look at the the disappearance of Jay Slater is coming to Channel 4.
On the morning of 17 June 2024, 19-year-old Jay Slater – an apprentice bricklayer from the Lancashire town of Oswaldtwistle – disappeared on the island of Tenerife in Spain, after attempting to walk 14 hours back to his accommodation when there was no local taxi service available and no bus due for 90 minutes.
From then commenced one of the biggest missing persons cases in recent British history.
As the world’s media were following the story minute by minute last summer, producers at Channel 4 were in the incredibly-unique position where they had access to the Coronial process in Lancashire, and this has led to the exclusive documentary title The Disappearance of Jay Slater.
From Jay’s post-mortem to Jay’s inquest, the team have been with the family every step of the way over the last year, as they try and understand exactly what happened to Jay outside of the public gaze
Jay was ultimately pronounced dead on 15 July 2024 after Spanish police reported the discovery of a body in the vicinity of the area of interest, but before this discovery and eventual announcement, the internet became awash with public discourse, conspiracy theories, and more.
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is described as being ‘the family’s story’.
Channel 4 will air an exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater / Credit: GoFundMe
The documentary is set to follow them as they search for answers about what happened to Jay, witnessing the conspiracy theories raging online and the subsequent horrific abuse they received as a family – which is an hourly onslaught that continues to this day.
These cameras were the only media in the world granted full access to film both Jay’s post-mortem and inside the church at his funeral.
But the broadcaster claims this documentary is not only the story of Jay’s tragedy, it’s also the story of ‘the new world we live in’ where so-called true crime armchair detectives run wild.
“The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture,” commented Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor, Rita Daniels, ahead of the documentary airing.
“We are so glad to be working on a sensitively handled exploration of the family’s experience, and understanding the impact of being in the middle of a social media storm, amplified by grief.
“The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell.”
Executive Producer Anna Hall added: “It is appalling what has happened to Jay’s family, and we hope this film will help to bring awareness of the real life consequences of online speculation. It is an unmonitored world where fake news runs rife, and this film shows the devastating impact this has had on one grieving family.”
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is expected to air on Channel 4 later this year, but no official dates have been confirmed as of yet, so keep your eyes peeled.
Emily Sergeant -
13th June 2024 
