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The building of new smart motorways is being cancelled following concerns over safety and costs.

Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from government road-building plans, Downing Street has confirmed.

Existing stretches will remain but be subjected to a safety refit so there are more emergency stopping places.

Which smart motorways are cancelled

11 already paused:

M3 Junction 9 to 14

M40/M42 interchange

M62 Junction 20 to 25

M25 Junction 10 to 16

Dynamic hard shoulder to all lane running conversions:

M1 Junction 10 to 13

M4 – M5 interchange (M4 Junction 19 to 20 and M5 Junction 15 to 17)

M6 Junction 4 to 5

M6 Junction 5 to 8

M6 Junction 8 to 10a

M42 Junction 3a to 7

M62 Junction 25 to 30

3 earmarked for construction:

M1 North Leicestershire

M1 Junction 35A to 39 – Sheffield to Wakefield

M6 Junction 19 to 21A – Knutsford to Croft

Read more: What are smart motorways?

About 10% of England’s motorway network is made up of smart motorways. They involve various methods to manage the flow of traffic, including converting the hard shoulder into a live lane.

They were introduced in England in 2014 to ease congestion – and there are 375 miles of smart motorway, including 235 miles with no hard shoulder.

But there have been longstanding fears following fatal accidents involving vehicles forced to stop in live lanes, without a hard shoulder, only to be hit from behind.

Earlier this month, an inquest heard a crash on a smart motorway that killed two pensioners would not have happened if there had been a hard shoulder.

Derek Jacobs, 83, died when his van was hit by a car on the M1 near Sheffield in 2019.

He had stopped in the live inside lane after a blown tyre, and had remained stationary there for three minutes and 34 seconds before his vehicle was hit by a red Ford KA, driven by Jean Scripps. Her husband died in hospital two months after the collision.

Derek Jacobs
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Derek Jacobs died in a crash on a smart motorway in 2019

The road to scrapping smart motorways

Plans for up to hundreds of miles of smart motorways were first announced in 2019, with the government aiming to roll out 400 miles across England by 2025.

But two years later, the proposals had been shelved.

At the time, ministers said the policy was “paused” until five years of safety data for schemes introduced before 2020 had been collected. But in his Tory leadership campaign last summer, Rishi Sunak vowed to ban them entirely.

Campaigners have long called for them to be scrapped.

Jason Mercer, 44, died following a collision on the M1 northbound on 7 June 2019. Pic: South Yorkshire Police @syptweet
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Jason Mercer died after a crash on the M1 northbound in 2019. Pic: South Yorkshire Police

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January 2022: Smart motorway rollout suspended

Jason Mercer died in 2019 while driving to work. He had a shunt with a van on a stretch of the M1 near Sheffield that had been converted to a smart motorway.

After both vehicles stopped, they were hit by a lorry. Claire Mercer says her husband would still be alive had there been a hard shoulder.

Ms Mercer founded Smart Motorways Kill and has been campaigning for the abolishment of the motorways entirely.

Claire Mercer, whose husband, Jason Mercer, died on a smart motorway stretch of the M1 in June 2019, welcomed the recommendation for the rollout to be paused
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Claire Mercer has campaigned for smart motorways to be banned

Rishi Sunak’s campaign promise

“All drivers deserve to have confidence in the roads they use to get around the country,” The Telegraph quoted Mr Sunak as saying.

“That’s why last year I pledged to stop the building of all new smart motorways, and today I’m making good on that promise.

“Many people across the country rely on driving to get to work, to take their children to school and go about their daily lives, and I want them to be able to do so with full confidence that the roads they drive on are safe.”

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RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “This is a watershed announcement and a victory for everyone who has campaigned against these motorways that, by their design, put drivers in more danger should they be unlucky enough to break down on one.

“Our research shows all lane-running smart motorways are deeply unpopular with drivers so we’re pleased the government has finally arrived at the same conclusion. It’s now vitally important that plans are made for making the hundreds of existing miles of these types of motorway as safe as possible.

“The possibility of converting all lane running stretches to the ‘dynamic hard shoulder’ configuration, where the hard shoulder is open and closed depending on the levels of traffic, could be one option the government considers.”

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Man arrested over wildfire that triggered ‘major incident’ in Northern Ireland

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Man arrested over wildfire that triggered 'major incident' in Northern Ireland

A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.

More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.

It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.

“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.

“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.

A wildfire broke out in Northern Ireland. Pic: Sky Watch NI
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The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI

A wildfire broke out in Northern Ireland. Pic: Sky Watch NI
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More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI

Various fires erupted across England this week amid uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions for the time of year.

On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.

Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”

Dorset wildfires
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Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week

Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.

In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.

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Wildfires spread across nature reserve

Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.

Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.

The weather conditions triggered a “severe” wildfire rating for parts of the UK on Tuesday.

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Man shot dead in Stanley, County Durham

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Man shot dead in Stanley, County Durham

Police are investigating after a man was shot dead in County Durham.

Officers were called to an address in Elm Street, Stanley, at about 5.20pm on Saturday after reports of a “disturbance”, Durham Constabulary said.

A man in his 50s was found to have been shot and despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family have been told and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Specialist crime scene investigators are at the scene, and officers are carrying out house-to-house enquiries.

A cordon is in place and is expected to stay there for some time.

Detective Superintendent Neil Fuller said: “This is a truly shocking incident in which a man has been shot and has sadly died.”

He added: “Residents may see an increased police presence in the area. I would like to thank them for their support while we carry out this investigation.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time.”

Read more from Sky News:
Furious row after Labour MPs denied entry to Israel
Man arrested over wildfire that triggered ‘major incident’

Durham Constabulary has urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage or CCTV to contact the force.

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Furious row after Labour MPs denied entry to Israel – as Lammy criticises ‘disgraceful’ Badenoch response

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Furious row after Labour MPs denied entry to Israel - as Lammy criticises 'disgraceful' Badenoch response

A furious political row has broken out after two Labour MPs were denied entry to Israel and deported after being accused of planning to “spread anti-Israel hatred”.

Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were rejected because they were suspected of plans to “document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred”, according to a statement from the Israeli immigration ministry.

Ms Yang, who represents Earley and Woodley, and Ms Mohamed, the MP for Sheffield Central, both flew to the country from Luton on Saturday – and later said they were “astounded” by their treatment.

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The Israeli immigration ministry said the MPs were accompanied by two assistants on the trip and during questioning, they claimed they were visiting Israel “as part of an official parliamentary delegation”.

But Israeli officials said immigration officers found “no evidence to support the claim… they were travelling as part of an official delegation”. “No politicians or government officials were aware they were coming,” they added.

The Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) contradicted Israeli officials, saying the women were part of a “parliamentary delegation” on a trip organised by them and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips she was “not surprised” the MPs were detained and that “every country should be able to control its borders, and that’s what Israel is doing, as far as I understand”.

She said she was “very concerned” about the “rhetoric” on the Middle East from Labour MPs and six independents, and claimed there is “a lot of repeating of misinformation, repeating of conspiracy theories” during Prime Minister’s Questions.

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Tory leader backs Israel over deported MPs

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticised Ms Badenoch’s comments, writing in a post on X: “It’s disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs. Do you say the same about Tory MPs banned from China?.”

Ms Badenoch retorted, saying: “Unlike China, Israel is our ally and a democracy. A good Foreign Sec would be able to make that distinction.”

One of Ms Badenoch’s ministers Richard Fuller appeared to contradict her, however, telling Times Radio: “Any member of Parliament who goes on an official trip should be, I would think, welcomed in any country.”

Chair of the foreign affairs select committee Emily Thornberry MP described Israel’s treatment of the two women as an “insult to our country and to Parliament”.

In a joint statement, Ms Yang and Ms Mohamed said they were “astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities”.

“It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness, first-hand, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory,” they said.

“We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in Parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with international humanitarian law. Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted.”

They said they had travelled to “visit humanitarian aid projects and communities in the West Bank” with “UK charity partners who have over a decade of experience in taking parliamentary delegations”.

Israel’s UK embassy said the MPs were denied entry because they had “accused Israel of false claims, were actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the state of Israel”.

It said the women “chose not to exercise their right under Israeli law to petition the court to reconsider the decision”.

As a result, they were “offered hotel accommodation, which they declined” and their return flight was covered by the Israeli state.

“The visit was intended to provoke anti-Israel activities at a time when Israel is at war and under attack on seven fronts. Its purpose was to harm Israel and Israeli citizens and spread falsehoods about them,” the statement added.

“The state of Israel has both the authority and the duty to prevent the entry of individuals whose presence in the country is intended to cause harm to its citizens – just as such authority exists in the United Kingdom.”

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Earlier in a statement to Sky News, Mr Lammy said it was “unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities”.

“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.

“The UK government’s focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.”

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Emily Thornberry says Israel has to ‘stop being so thin-skinned’ about criticism over its Gaza war.

In an interview with Sky News, Dame Emily Thornberry said her two colleagues are “highly intelligent, well informed” and “really well respected”.

“They speak on behalf of a lot of people,” said the Labour MP, warning Israel that instead of “alienating” and “humiliating” them it should “engage” with them.

She confirmed the women have landed back in the UK and that “they’ll be okay”. But she added: “I am so angry.”

Labour Friends of Israel said it was “wrong and counterproductive for Israel to refuse entry to British members of Parliament”.

“Over the years we’ve taken hundreds of MPs to Israel and Palestine; it’s vital parliamentarians are able to visit and understand the situation on the ground,” it said.

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