“It’s s*** you can’t trust anybody to do the right thing”: Independent cycle shop forced to massively discount custom bike frame after being “completely stuffed” by customer who failed to pay; Reaction to Louise Haigh resignation + more on the live blog

Shhh… Don’t let any of the national newspapers find out that the newly appointed Transport Secretary came under fire from social media users in 2020, when she along with her husband, completed a fun bike ride around the streets that feature on the Monopoly board.

>  London deputy mayor under fire for Monopoly bike ride... at 2.5mph?

The then Deputy Mayor of London under Sadiq Khan tweeted pictures from her ride, holding up Monopoly title deed cards from some of the locations she visited, such as Euston Road and Pentonville Road.

However, a good ol’ Twitter kerfuffle was in the waiting, with people accusing Alexander of breaking the lockdown Tier 4 rules… despite there being no  limits on time spent exercising such as riding a bike, and Park Lane, the furthest point west on the board, is within easy reach by bike of her home.

Along with that, another person estimated that five miles on the bike was “excessive” and would take over two hours on the bike, indicating that cyclists travel around the city at the scary speeds of 2.5mph. At least she wasn’t accused by The Telegraph of riding over 50mph…

The Barnsley Refugee Council’s new Bike Project workshop has been officially opened by South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner and triple Olympic gold medallist, Ed Clancy OBE. The inauguration ceremony celebrated the contributions of volunteer mechanics and residents with refugee backgrounds who are building their lives and supporting the community in Barnsley.

The Barnsley Refugee Bike Project awarded a grant of approximately £20,000 from the National Lottery, transforms pre-loved bicycles into vital tools for affordable transport. By refurbishing and donating over 450 bikes so far, the project provides people with a means to commute to school, college, work, or enjoy the freedom of cycling. In its upgraded workshop, participants are also gaining hands-on experience in bike maintenance and repair, equipping them with valuable skills for the future.

South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy OBE, said: “The Barnsley Refugee Bike Project’s brilliant work is helping hundreds of people to build new lives.

“The scheme’s bikes and training are making a huge difference to those that need it the most, giving people the freedom and choice to travel and opening up more opportunities to connect with support and the community.

“I'm honoured to help celebrate the new workshop with the project’s amazing volunteers. It’s another great step forward in helping even more people have the means to move about, and towards a healthier, happier, more equal South Yorkshire.”

Last year, Ed Clancy and Alex Simon presented the 100th refurbished bike to 10-year-old Amina, while others, like 30-year-old Tamru and siblings Ibrahim and Kaddi, also received bikes. Tamru, who fled Eritrea, now rides his bike to Barnsley College, where he is pursuing his studies—a testament to how the project helps residents access opportunities while easing financial pressures.

Founded by the Penistone Refugee and Asylum Seekers Support Group in collaboration with local volunteers, the project began in a small bike shed and has now found its first permanent home. The initiative is not only reducing landfill waste but also helping people rebuild their lives in Barnsley by connecting them with education, work, and leisure opportunities.

Barnsley Refugee Bike Project, launched by South Yorkshire’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner and triple Olympic gold medallist, Ed Clancy

Anna Hartley, Director of Public Health at Barnsley Council, added: “This project is a shining example of how community initiatives can support health and wellbeing, providing opportunities for active travel while fostering inclusion and environmental sustainability. Seeing people learning new skills and gaining independence through cycling is fantastic

“It’s about freedom, opportunity, and connection. This project combines all that while giving old bikes new life, reducing waste, and building a stronger, more inclusive community here in Barnsley.”

Barnsley Refugee Bike Project Founder, Alex Simon, said: “It started when somebody asked for a bike, and I had a spare bike, and it snowballed from there. Other donations quickly followed. Now here we are in this fantastic workshop, with support from the National Lottery Community Fund, with a great team of people that’s growing all the time, including our friends from the asylum seeker and refugee community who are learning new skills and helping to refurbish the bikes. 

“The generosity and kindness of people and organisations in Barnsley has been amazing, enabling us to recycle over 450 bikes and organise regular bike rides to the beautiful places around Barnsley. To have our supporters and friends here today is very special and I want to thank everyone who has helped us.”

Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, added: “What we’re hearing today is a remarkable story about those that are welcomed and those that do the welcoming. It tells a story about how we can reach across divides to support each other because we see our collective humanity and our common spirit. The welcoming that is taking place through this project and the ripples it has, is remarkable.

“It’s in community work like this that we cross divisions, that people create shared understanding and that we create a United Kingdom which is about inclusion, which is about a shared humanity and which is about supporting everyone, regardless of their background, to fulfil their potential.”

Following Louise Haigh’s resignation as Secretary of State for Transport and the appointment of Heidi Alexander to the role, Sarah McMonagle, director of external affairs at Cycling UK, said: “We’d like to thank Louise Haigh for her outstanding work in championing active travel during her time as Secretary of State for Transport, and prior to that, as Shadow Secretary. Louise clearly understands the role that cycling can play in achieving the government’s missions, particularly its role in improving public health and tackling the cost-of-living crisis. 

“We warmly welcome Heidi Alexander to her new role. She brings a wealth of experience as the former deputy mayor for transport in London and is a cyclist herself. We urge the new Secretary of State to ensure we maximise the enormous range of benefits that come when more people cycle by putting cycling front and centre of the new Integrated Transport Strategy. Heidi has actively engaged with Cycling UK for many years, and we look forward to building on that relationship as she takes forward her new brief.”

If like Grant Shapps, you also didn’t receive a BBC news alert about Louise Haigh resigning from the post of Transport Secretary for some reason… well, you know it now.

Haigh, the Sheffield MP who after becoming a cycling convert earlier this year hinted at long-term funding for cycling and walking this month, has announced her resignation this morning after a spent conviction over a misplaced phone was brought up following reports from Sky and The Times yesterday.

She wrote in her letter to the Prime Minister: “As you know, in 2013 I was mugged in London. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was terrifying. In the immediate aftermath, I reported the incident to the police. I gave the police a list of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my work phone. Some time later, I discovered that the handset in question was still in my house. I should have immediately informed my employer and not doing so straight away was a mistake.”

When questioned by the police in the aftermath, she said that she was advised by her solicitor not to comment during that interview and that she regrets following that advice. She later pleaded guilty to making a false report to police at a magistrates’ court, six months before becoming an MP in the 2015 election, and received a discharge - the “lowest possible outcome”.

> Is Labour’s shadow transport secretary cycling’s latest convert? Louise Haigh says e-bikes “make all the difference”, months after backlash over controversial cycling comments

Haigh, the youngest-ever woman to be appointed to the Cabinet, mentioned that the Bill  bringing the railways back into public ownership received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament yesterday, calling it a “once in a generation reform to our railways which will change our country for the better”.

Cycling UK commented on the news, saying: “Thank you Louise Haigh, for your support for all things active travel. Your commitment has been deeply appreciated. Wishing you all the best in the next chapter after stepping down - your impact will not be forgotten.”

Some reactions to this development from social media…

Owen Jones (journalist): “Louise Haigh was one of the only Labour ministers doing something worthwhile.

“Who knows why her spent conviction suddenly re emerged, but needless to say Starmer allies will be delighted she’s gone.

“Haigh already faced being purged for rightly slamming P&O Ferries.”

Karl Hansen (journalist): “Louise Haigh has accomplished more in her brief than any other government minister, bringing rail and bus services back into public ownership. It's a shame that she is resigning over something so trivial.”

Sangita Myska (journalist): “The way Louise Haigh MP is being treated by parts of the established media and political classes over a minor spent conviction is like watching a modern day witch trial.”

Peter Smith: “Good grief. Louise Haigh has resigned. Admirable in many ways but unnecessary and a waste of a huge political talent.”

David Osland (columnist): “Johnson and Sunak stayed in office as prime minister and chancellor despite convictions over Partygate. That puts Louise Haigh’s ouster from the cabinet for a minor offence before she became an MP in perspective… I wish I were more confident that Louise Haigh's sudden departure from the cabinet had nothing to do with her entirely legitimate criticism of P&O Ferries.”

> Transport Secretary wants end to "perverse half cycle lanes" and hints at long-term funding for cycling and walking

The above statement is in reference to Haigh’s recent criticism directed at P&O Ferries, calling them “rogue operator” last month and urging people to boycott the shipping operation. However, when its parent company DP World threatened to pull out from a major government investment summit in response, Starmer pulled support for her, saying Haigh’s comments were “not the view of the government”.

People have also noted Haigh’s former role as Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Palestine and her criticism of the Israeli regime in the past.

Pro cyclists and their love for cars… Never fails to baffle me. Anyway, after Mathieu van der Poel becoming an ambassador for Lamborghini and even saying that getting the €300,000 SUV Urus S felt “more special than testing a new bike” (tsk tsk, Canyon), it’s Remco Evenepoel’s turn to make use of that Quick-Step Olympic bonus and get himself a BMW M5.

> From cobbles to asphalt? Van der Poel becomes Lamborghini ambassador (and gets one himself)

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Remco Evenepoel (@remco.ev)

One person commented: “Shouldn’t it be in gold?”, while Seasucker, a US-based company that sells vacuum-mounted automotive racks, wrote: “Looks like someone needs a new bike rack.”

Anyway, repeat after me, sportspersons shouldn’t be your idols… In other news, Evenepoel was also spotted in attendance at his boyhood club Anderlecht’s Europa League match against Porto last night, along with Eddy Merckx as well as Anderlecht and Belgian legend Paul Van Himst.

 

 

 

 

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