Andy Burnham

ANDY Burnham is set to nationalise Avanti West Coast next year as Labour pledges to start “delivering for passengers”.

The Government will take control of the private operator from March 7 as the PM said passengers had been failed “time and time again”.

An extra £10million is set to be invested in power and signalling maintenance in addition to £840million earmarked for infrastructure on the West Coast Main Line, reports ITV.

The government hopes timetable changes will also improve services for passengers as well as boosted WiFi connectivity.

It was also announced that Euston station in London will receive a £50million upgrade.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander said: “For years, we’ve heard stories of Avanti underperforming, with passengers left paying the price. Enough is enough.

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“That is why we will bring Avanti into public ownership at the earliest opportunity, in March next year.

“This Labour Government is committed to putting essential services back in public hands, connecting people to opportunity and delivering growth in every postcode and this move reflects that commitment.

“We will also introduce a comprehensive improvement plan, focused on delivering for passengers, not shareholders.”

Avanti West Coast’s contract is due to come to an end on March 7, 2027.

That will leave East Midlands Railway and Cross Country as the only train operators yet to be nationalised.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham blasted Avanti, saying they had failed passengers “time and time again”.

In a post on X he said: “We’re putting essential services back in public hands and building a railway that actually works for the people who use it.”

It comes as Avanti West Coast recorded the highest number of cancellations in the UK this summer, according to analysis by The Times.

That is double the national average as they made 1.4million delay repay claims in the year to March – around a million more than in 2019, according to the outlet.

Andy Mellors, managing director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved over the last six years – from refurbishing our Pendolino fleet and introducing our new Evero trains to running more services than ever before.

“Together, these improvements have given customers greater choice, more capacity and better connectivity, while we’ve continued to innovate to shape the future of the West Coast and wider rail industry.

“Over the coming months, we’ll work closely with the government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and communities.”

The Sun reported earlier this month how Avanti had cut back hundreds of its journeys in the run-up to Christmas.

A reduced timetable will also continue between Christmas and the new year due to engineering works, with the scheduled change aiming to “save taxpayers money“.

Fans watching the new series of SNL UK were floored by the very first sketch

Comedy fans had the same response to a new season of SNL UK.

Viewers tuning into the new series hailed the show’s ‘genius move’ for the show’s return. It comes as the sketch show UK version of the hit American series, returned following an impressive stint earlier in the year.

There was initial cynicism over whether or not it would actually work, let alone be a success. However, it was renewed for a follow up ahead of its season finale.

This week saw Academy Award‑nominated actor and global icon Jeff Goldblum take on duties of the guest host. Goldblum is instantly recognisable for performances in Jurassic Park and Wicked. He was joined by acclaimed Irish singer‑songwriter and Brit Award nominee CMAT as the musical guest.

The show takes on a number of well known features from its American counterparts. This includes an opening monologue, topical sketches and the Weekend Update feature.

Season two’s premiere began with a cold open about the Royals. In particular, the show poked fun about Harry and Meghan, following the news of their move back to the UK.

Star Jack Shep, who wowed fans by taking on the role of Princess Diana in the previous season, appeared this time playing Harry. They also poked fun at Meghan’s Netflix series, as she told the King that she had brought some ice that she ‘made herself’.

Shep as Harry replied: “She hires the best cooks.” And later he tells his ‘father’ that his money has run out saying “it was only $60 million.”

But what really impressed viewers watching along at home was when cast member George Fouracres entered as Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Last time out, the actor also appeared as the PM, which back then was Sir Keir Starmer.

Fouracres joked that he was “better than the last one” and would not stop until there was a “Number 10 in every street in the UK”. Fans absolutely loved Fouracres performance with many sharing their reactions on social media.

One person admitted: “I’m weeping for joy at how good Fouracres as Burnham is: channelling John Simm.” Someone else replied: “So happy #SNLUK ‘s Andy Burnham is George Fouracres, he was a perfect Starmer and he’s a perfect Mr Normal too!”