British PM promises ‘infrastructure revolution’

LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged on Tuesday to deliver an “infrastructure revolution” to help Britain build its way out of the economic devastation of the coronavirus outbreak.

But his optimistic message, thin on detail and reminiscent of last year’s election pledges, was overshadowed by the first local lockdown since an easing of measures was announced, because of a spike in cases in the city of Leicester.

Shops which only reopened two weeks ago ater being shut for more than three months were forced to close again, and travel was restricted to the city in the English East Midlands.

Johnson, however, tried to harness the cantweeted a message of gratitude for the full life he had.

“Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have lived the best life possible by having met & marrying the gifted Estelle (Stella) Lebost---who partnered with me in bringing Rob, Annie & Lucas Reiner into to this needy & evolving world.”

Condolences for Reiner poured in, includdo spirit that US president Franklin D. Roosevelt adopted when he introduced a “New Deal” for tackling the Great Depression 90 years ago.

“This is a programme for jobs, jobs, jobs because it’s by building, building, building... that we will get the jobs this nation needs,” he said ater touring a construction site in Dudley, 64 kilometres away in the West Midlands.

“It sounds like a New Deal, and all I can say is, if that is so then that is how it is meant to sound and to be because that is what the times demand.”

He promised £1 billion ($1.2 billion) for school repairs and a further £4 billion for “shovelready” projects from road maintenance to

ing a tweet from New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

“Carl Reiner, Bronx born and bred, made public transport in what he said was a new “infrastructure revolution” that will also build new homes.

Johnson’s message was thin on detail, particularly on jobs, and in part repackaged broad-brush promises made by his Conservative party before December’s general election.

He pledged again to spread the wealth more fairly from London to economically struggling regions that traditionally supported the opposition Labour party.

“Too many parts of this country have felt let behind, neglected, unloved,” he said.

That pledge helped Johnson secure a record 80-seat parliamentary majority that

TV comedy that endures to this day. He made America laugh - a true gift,” Cuomo wrote.

Another US TV comedy legend, Alan Alda, also paid tribute.

“My friend Carl Reiner died last night. His talent will live on for a long time, but the loss of his kindness and decency leaves a hole in our hearts. We love you, Carl,” Alda tweeted. enabled him in January to take Britain out of the European Union ater repeated delays.

But Britain is now dealing with Europe’s deadliest virus outbreak and the worst economic contraction among the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialised states.

Johnson’s once soaring approval ratings slipped into negative territory in a Yougov poll this month.

And opposition leaders said the £5 billion announced on Tuesday was simply bringing forward some of the money promised in a spending plan his government had already unveiled for the coming five years.