Could there be light at the end of the tunnel for HS2? Reports swirling around suggest that the Government is set to give the green signal for the project to terminate at Euston Station rather than slink off at Old Oak Common.
This would represent a welcome case of common sense prevailing. For HS2 to end up as a rump of a line, ferrying passengers between Birmingham and a west London suburb, would be a failure of statecraft.
Yet if the terminus at Euston is now on, why not tunnel that little bit further? A short extension - less than half a mile on - would allow HS2 into St Pancras, opening up an array of connections, including to HS1, better known as the Eurostar.
For a new Government intent on boosting Britain’s infrastructure and with an eye for imagination, it is surely a no-brainer.
Tory leadership beauty parade
The Conservative Party faces a choice that runs deeper than merely the person to lead it. Over the coming weeks, MPs and then ultimately ordinary members have the opportunity to set a future direction for the party. If history is anything to go by, it has a reasonable shot of doing the same for the country.
The contest is shaping up fairly tidily. Given the frequency of Tory leadership races, it is the one thing the party ought to excel at. There are two lanes: a moderate one fought between James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat, and a right-wing one between Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch.
The latter has had a bumpy start to the conference in Birmingham, having to backtrack on comments around the imposition of maternity pay. The Shadow Housing Secretary’s avowed strength is her ability to speak her mind. Yet fellow MPs may start to wonder how much that is a curse as well as a blessing.
It is Jenrick, a one-time Remainer in the Cameroon model turned hardline immigration warrior, who leads amongst MPs. If he can keep that momentum going, he is likely to face one of the moderate candidates. And if history is any judge, that will see Jenrick victorious. The last time the more moderate candidate won amongst Tory Party members was David Cameron in 2005.
Whoever takes the crown will find themselves in charge of a small parliamentary party and a divided political right. To become Prime Minister from that position would be a political achievement perhaps even greater than that of the present incumbent of Number 10.
