[The Weeping Angel]

Inflation is down.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yg04jg1n5o

UK inflation fell to 3% in January, down from 3.4% in December, driven by food, fuel and airfares.

Economists said the decrease raised the likelihood the Bank of England will cut interest rates at its March monetary policy meeting.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the "marked" fall in January took inflation to its lowest rate since March 2025.

Although the rate of inflation has fallen, prices themselves are not coming down, but simply rising at a slower pace.

ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: "Inflation fell markedly in January to its lowest annual rate since March last year, driven partly by a decrease in petrol prices.

"Airfares were another downward driver this month with prices dropping back following the increase in December."

But he added that lower costs for bread, cereals and meat were partially offset by the cost of hotel stays and takeaways.

Wednesday's fall in inflation, coming after figures showed a slowdown in wage growth, makes it more likely the Bank of England will cut its key interest rate - currently set at 3.75%.

Economists are expecting inflation to fall further in the coming months, with the government cutting household energy bills from April. Forecasters Cornwall Insight predicted the measure would help lower the energy price cap for a typical household by £117 to £1,641 from April.

KPMG chief economist Yael Selfin said: "Given the favourable inflation outlook, the Bank is expected to cut interest rates three times this year, leaving interest rates at 3% by the end of 2026."

[The Weeping Angel]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80jyx2xljno

The prime minister has committed the UK government to a £14bn plan to "transform" Wales' railways.

Sir Keir Starmer has backed Transport for Wales (TFW) proposals for 43 schemes, saying it would put the country "on the front foot".

While cash is confirmed for seven train stations at Magor and Undy, Llanwern, Cardiff East, Newport West, Somerton, Cardiff Parkway and Deeside, specific funding is yet to be announced for other projects.

A Welsh government source told the BBC it was "the biggest day in devolution", but opponents accused the Labour UK government of "reheating" old announcements.

Timescales have not been confirmed, but First Minister Eluned Morgan said the 43 projects promised would take about 15 years to roll out.

The UK government had already announced £445m for rail projects in Wales at last June's spending review, and has now explained that money will go towards building each of the seven stations, alongside upgrades in south and north Wales.

It has also backed a much longer list of schemes, which will need extra money to be allocated over the coming years.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Sounds like a fair bit of this should be before 2029 as well, although the full time scale is 15 years. That doesn't mean that it'll all happen, but it's harder to get out of it after announcements like this. Though don't ask Tracy Brabin about it.

All the parties are give pretty cynical responses. Nobody in the UK or Welsh Governments have said this is all new.

Usual distinguished efforts here.

Mims Davies, Tory shadow Welsh secretary, said: "This is a desperate visit to the last chance saloon by the deeply unpopular UK Labour government, ahead of the Senedd election where it is on course to lose power in Cardiff Bay after almost three decades.

"As always, today's announcement raises more pressing questions than it answers--the devil is in the lack of detail."

A political jibe with a bit of meaningless waffle added. There's a link in this very article to the "detail" (or lack of detail, as clever old Miriam calls it.

And this old one.

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick also accused the government of "reheating" old announcements ahead of the Senedd election.
"There is still no commitment to electrifying the north Wales or south Wales mainlines, something businesses consistently tell us is essential to unlocking real economic growth across the whole country."

Ignore everything in it, just say that something else isn't in it, job done. Electrification isn't particularly key to unlocking growth anyway. It can help you fit in extra trains on a busy route, but is Crewe-Holyhead that busy?

[Killer Whale]

That electrification - both to Swansea and Holyhead - has been promised before but never materializes.

On the other hand there are plenty of people within the nationalist movement who would prioritize development within Wales, viewing the lines to Bristol/London and Crewe/Liverpool/Manchester as extractive, colonialist routes.

[mattomac]

Tories scrapped it in 2017.

This appears the difference here, they will announce something amazing, people will clamber going oh Labour didn't even do that and then drop it or axe it a year or so later.

Conversion therapy ban is a classic example.

[The Weeping Angel]

Ball knows absolutely nothing about her, and is posing as some sort of Whitehall face.

She's been appointed. Ball isn't happy.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Electrification from Cardiff to Swansea has a strong case. Quite surprised that's not in there- the origin of these schemes is the Welsh Government, as I understand it. Sometimes governments can overlook schemes that don't show up on the maps as new lines and new stations. Perhaps there's some of that. I hope not.

In terms of this "worst government ever" stuff being chucked at Starmer. worth remembering that even if we start the clock at 2011 (after a completely unnecessary review of the project", it took 9 years to electrify the line to Cardiff, with the last bit to Swansea being scrapped altogether.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There's quite a head of steam for devolving rail infrastructure to Wales now. I can see why, because it would guarantee under the Barnett Formula a certain amount of money, even with the extra costs involved, and which might be inflated by Transport for Wales needing to learn the ropes. I've been a skeptic, and it's less important if this level of funding actually goes in (which it hasn't in the past).

But it's perhaps time to devolve now.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Tories scrapped it in 2017.

This appears the difference here, they will announce something amazing, people will clamber going oh Labour didn't even do that and then drop it or axe it a year or so later.

Conversion therapy ban is a classic example.

Yeah, they made plenty. And scrapping HS2 was surely bigger than these elections being uncanceled. If we take Sunak's own figures for money he'd reallocated, it was a £35BN U-TURN. It's true that it did get a lot of attention, in itself, but it didn't feed a narrative of "U-TURN after U-TURN CHAOS".

And of course, this followed the earlier U-TURN on the Birmingham to Leeds section.

[Andy McDandy]

How much outrage was there when he wrote off however many billions of Covid-related fraud?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Or indeed over Bozo's bad decisions early in the pandemic costing 20,000 lives. All less important that cancelling and uncancelling some elections.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Warmonger Sir Keir will do anything to please Trump, latest.

The Times is reporting that Donald Trump issued his latest diatribe about the UK’s Chagos Islands deal (see 9.34am) because Keir Starmer is not letting the US use Diego Garcia to bomb Iran.

I'm not saying this is a particularly high bar for Starmer to clear, but he'll get no credit for it from anyone who purports to be against war.

While Reform can't be expected to think properly about this stuff, is it too much to ask that the Conservative Party show a bit of discretion before lining up with Trump? Do they want to run war with Iran past the British people?

[Youngian]

And if Trump ignores the ban, where will that leave tough talking British sovereigntists Kemi and Nigel?

[Tubby Isaacs]

They'll say it happened because Starmer had "made us weak on the international stage". They're that cyncical.

[mattomac]

Tories scrapped it in 2017.

This appears the difference here, they will announce something amazing, people will clamber going oh Labour didn't even do that and then drop it or axe it a year or so later.

Conversion therapy ban is a classic example.

Yeah, they made plenty. And scrapping HS2 was surely bigger than these elections being uncanceled. If we take Sunak's own figures for money he'd reallocated, it was a £35BN U-TURN. It's true that it did get a lot of attention, in itself, but it didn't feed a narrative of "U-TURN after U-TURN CHAOS".

And of course, this followed the earlier U-TURN on the Birmingham to Leeds section.

Not to mention when he chucked all the green stuff because he won a by election in Uxbridge and completely read something into what wasn't there.

[The Weeping Angel]

Ball knows absolutely nothing about her, and is posing as some sort of Whitehall face.

She's been appointed. Ball isn't happy.

Ball argues that this is just another contentious appointment as in Mandelson and it's the latest contentious appointment.

[Tubby Isaacs]

What process was “skipped” exactly?

How long does it usually take? Wasn’t she interviewed before?

The “wonk” hostility to Starmer seems surprisingly strong. I wonder if it’s because he’s doing lots of stuff they like, and things are improving only very slowly. So it’s “Starmer can’t govern”.

I’m sure I recall some wonks saying the WFA should definitely go. Clever bastards.

[Andy McDandy]

Or indeed over Bozo's bad decisions early in the pandemic costing 20,000 lives. All less important that cancelling and uncancelling some elections.

"What did he get wrong?"

"He got all the big calls right."

"What were those big calls?"

"THE ONES HE GOT RIGHT!"

Etc.