Updated 6:56pm 22 May 2012

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Jon Walker

Jonathan Walker

Jonathan Walker: High speed rail keeps rolling

Sometimes it’s remarkable how an idea takes hold and won’t go away regardless of the evidence to the contrary.Read

Birmingham

Birmingham could still have elected mayor despite No vote in referendum

Birmingham could still have a directly elected mayor, either to run the city or as a “metro mayor” with responsibility for the wider region, Ministers have insisted.Read

Liam Byrne

Birmingham MP Liam Byrne facing sack in Shadow Cabinet reshuffle

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Liam Byrne

Liam Byrne warned Heseltine of expected No vote in Mayor Referendum

Labour MP Liam Byrne, who hoped to become Birmingham’s first directly-elected mayor, made a late dash to Tory grandee Michael Heseltine to warn that David Cameron’s dream of creating mayors in Britain’s big cities was about to collapse, he has revealed.Read

HS2 High Speed Rail

HS2 'will still go ahead' despite Queen's Speech omission, insists DfT

A planned high speed rail network with Birmingham at its heart will go ahead as planned despite reports that the project has been delayed, the Department for Transport has insisted.Read

John Hemming

MP John Hemming says News International executives could face jail

The House of Commons could jail News International executives for spying on MP Tom Watson in an attempt to block his investigation into phone hacking, an MP has warned.Read

Nick Clegg

Greater Birmingham LEP pushes Nick Clegg for city deal

Birmingham has submitted radical plans to devolve power and cash to the West Midlands in a “city deal” to be considered by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Read

teacher

University warns of teacher shortage as education cuts hit

Dramatic reforms to teacher training could lead to a shortage of new recruits as universities close training departments, Birmingham academics have warned.Read

Tom Watson

West Midlands MP Tom Watson says News International 'corrupted' the UK

Black Country MP Tom Watson claimed senior figures at newspaper publisher News International “corrupted our country” as a Commons inquiry warned media mogul Rupert Murdoch was “not a fit person” to run a major international corporation. Read

elected mayor referendum

Elected city mayors should push for regional power, says Centre For Cities

Cities which elect mayors this year should push for “metro mayors” covering multiple local authorities in 2016, according to a leading think tank.Read

Jonathan Walker: PM fighting to the end with his support for mayors

David Cameron has been outspoken in his support for a directly-elected mayor, slipping in a plea for voters in Coventry to back the proposal as he answered questions in the Commons.Read

NHS

NHS reforms to cost West Midlands primary care trusts £363m

Controversial plans to reform the NHS are costing up to £363 million in the West Midland, the Birmingham Post can reveal.Read

Ballot box

Postal vote fraud still rife, says judge who compared Birmingham to 'banana republic'

The judge who once compared Birmingham to a “banana republic” has warned that voting fraud is still rife - and accused politicians of failing to tackle the problem.Read

Birmingham Airport

Calls to name Birmingham as national airport

Birmingham Airport has urged the government to name it officially as one of Britain’s major national airports, as managers engaged in a war of words with rivals at London’s Heathrow.Read

Railways

Forty-nine West Midlands railway ticket offices under threat

Ministers have denied secretly approving plans to close rail ticket offices across the West Midlands, after a leaked e-mail from government officials stated the closures were going ahead.Read

Disability

Third of incapacity benefit claimants in West Midlands deemed fit to work

Assessments on incapacity benefit claimants have found that more than one in three of the West Midlands are fit to work.Read

elected mayor referendum

Elected mayors must be regional to make a difference claims Warwick Commission

There is “no point” creating a mayor whose powers are limited to just one local authority area when key public services cover larger regions, a major study has concluded.Read

Birmingham Airport

Chaos at Birmingham Airport as passengers barge their way through passport checks

Angry passengers fought with border officials and pushed their way through passport checks at Birmingham Airport after being forced to queue for almost two hours, it has emerged.Read

Jonathan Walker: Pay £30,000 if you want to be mayor

Selection contests are often nastier than elections themselves, and the mayoral battle is a good example.Read

elected mayor referendum

Labour 'running scared' of by-election in Birmingham, claims Respect

Labour has been accused of “running scared” after it emerged senior party figures want to ban sitting MPs from standing as mayors – in order to avoid a difficult by-election in Birmingham Hodge Hill.Read

Author Profile

Political Editor at the Birmingham Post and Mail.