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Donald Trump has announced plans to build two “Trump-class battleships” for a new “Golden Fleet” for the…
Ministers are stifling major infrastructure projects through dithering and delay, new analysis shows. Despite Labour’s pledge to accelerate delivery, ministerial indecision has added nearly four years of cumulative delay in 2025 alone, and the Government is already falling behind its target of deciding on 150 projects by 2029.
A briefing published today by the Centre for Policy Studies reveals that of 27 major projects that have had or were expecting a decision in 2025, 14 (52%) have been delayed beyond the statutory three-month period for ministerial sign-off.
The consequences are severe. The Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant, which would have unlocked 8,500 homes, faced a six-month ministerial delay before eventually being cancelled due to rising costs, to which the delay undoubtedly contributed. Over £80m was spent on planning, including £14m by the council, only for the project to be scrapped.
Delays and uncertainty make infrastructure more expensive and harder to build. Projects must either risk demobilising staff or postpone construction until consent is secured. With a coin toss’s chance of facing delays of unknown length, even projects that are approved promptly are impacted by the uncertainty in the system.
Legal challenges compound the problem. One in six approved projects face court battles that can delay delivery by a year or more. Both airport expansions approved this year, Luton and Gatwick, now face legal challenges, a warning sign for the Government’s Heathrow third runway ambitions.
The Government is already falling behind its 150-project target. Ministers have made 32 decisions between the start of the Parliament and the end of 2025 but should have made 45 to stay on track. And analysis of the major projects pipeline suggests that, even without further delays or withdrawals, there will not be enough projects coming forward – in part due to the cost and uncertainty of the process. At current rates, the Government will approve just 107 major projects by 2029, missing its target by nearly a third.
Ben Hopkinson, Head of Housing and Infrastructure at the Centre for Policy Studies, said:
‘Labour promised to be the builders, not the blockers. Instead, ministers have presided over nearly four years of cumulative delay to major projects in 2025 alone. When half of all infrastructure decisions are delayed by ministerial dithering, you can’t blame the planning system – you have to blame the people making the decisions.
‘These delays have real consequences by slowing delivery, raising costs, and deterring investment. Unless the Government gets a grip, they’re on track to miss their own infrastructure target by a third.’
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Date Added: Tuesday 23rd December 2025

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Maritime Electric has officially filed plans with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission for the rotating power outages it says may be necessary this winter to prevent a provincewide blackout.
IRAC formally requested the plans in a letter to the utility’s CEO, Jason Roberts, dated Dec. 11. The regulator said it only learned about the potential for rolling outages, which Maritime Electric calls “load shedding,” through media coverage in late November.
The commission wanted to know whether any measures would be put in place to reduce the likelihood of rotating outages and how the utility would notify the public if such outages were necessary.
Roberts said Monday, however, that Maritime Electric filed its official application on the same day it received the letter from IRAC.
“There is some more information that we do need to file just to complete the request as outlined in the letter, but by and large, most of that information has been filed,” Roberts told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.
Maritime Electric says it has now officially filed its plans for rotating power outages with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin asks the utility’s CEO, Jason Roberts, about those details and the strain on P.E.I.’s power grid.
Roberts said Maritime Electric will aim to avoid rotating outages unless they’re deemed necessary,
He said if the utility needs to use the practice, customers will be notified through Maritime Electric’s website, social media and media outlets.
“It’s kind of like planning for a storm. You don’t know exactly where the storm is going to hit, you don’t know how long it’s going to last, and you don’t know how strong it’s going to be,” Roberts said.
“We don’t know exactly where that load is going to occur, we don’t know how high it’s going to be or how much we’re going to have to shed at a particular point in time.”
In its filing to IRAC, the utility said it should be able to give people notice of up to one or two hours before it has to cut power to a particular area — but in an emergency situation, that warning could be just minutes.
Maritime Electric also said the outages will cost the utility money.
It said planning and responding to an overwhelmed power grid is labour intensive, and will likely mean overtime for many staff. But because it’s never dealt with them before, the company said it can’t say how much rotating power outages would cost.
The utility said it will also cost money to run ads to let Islanders know what’s happening.
Roberts said keeping up with the pace of change on P.E.I. has been difficult as Maritime Electric deals with an increased population and government programs that encouraged customers to convert from oil heat to electricity.
When asked whether P.E.I. is in a crisis situation when it comes to the power supply, Roberts said “it really does feel that way.”
“We’ve got an increasing demand and we’ve got a shrinking supply on the Island, and then when you look across Atlantic Canada, we’ve got the same thing happening,” he said. “We’re all faced with the same problem, and we’re all working towards adding new generation.”
With recent outages shining a light on the fact that the P.E.I. electrical grid is nearing capacity, you may be wondering how the Island gets power in the first place — or what the difference is between Summerside Electric and Maritime Electric. Here’s a breakdown from CBC’s Cody MacKay.
The commission has applied to add more fossil fuel power generation to the system, but is still waiting on approval from IRAC.
Roberts said a recently implemented smart meter program could help manage demand for electricity, as it will give Maritime Electric the ability to see the usage of individual consumers.
“Our job is to make sure we have enough generation and transmission capacity in place to be able to deliver the energy that you want,” Roberts said.
“On the demand side… that’s the conversation where we say, let’s try and reduce as much as we can and help each other out.”

It might look like a chocolate coin on hanging on a Christmas tree, but you wouldn’t want to bite into this 22-carat gold collector’s piece.
Prized for its historic and artistic interest, it is…

This recall involves removing certain devices from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it.
The FDA is aware that Draeger has issued a letter to affected customers recommending certain ErgoStar Catheter Mounts be removed from where they are used or sold:
Part Number |
Designation |
UDI-DI |
|
MP01840 |
ErgoStar CM 40 |
04048675420736 |
|
MP01845 |
ErgoStar CM 45 |
04048675420729 |
|
MP01855 |
ErgoStar CM 55 |
04048675420729 |
|
MP01860 |
ErgoStar CM 60 |
04048675420699 |
Do not use any unused affected product. Unused stock should be removed and returned to Draeger. FDA recommends replacing currently in use affected product with a comparable alternative when available and medically appropriate.
On November 10, Draeger sent all affected customers a letter recommending the following actions:
Draeger stated that they have become aware of cases in which cracks have formed in the hose of specific ErgoStar catheter mounts. If these cracks form during use, leakage will occur. Depending on the size of the leakage and the selected ventilation pressure, the ventilator/anesthesia device can compensate for this. If the leakage cannot be compensated for, ventilation is restricted and may lead to desaturation or hypoxia for the patient.
As of November 17, 2025, Draeger has not reported any serious injuries or deaths associated with this issue.
The ErgoStar Airway Connector conducts respiratory gases between the breathing system and the patient interface (such as an endotracheal tube mask) of a mechanically ventilated patient.
Customers in the U.S. with adverse reactions, quality problems, or questions about this recall should contact Draeger Customer Service at US-Medical@draeger.com or 1-800-437-2437 (press 2 at the prompt, then 1).
The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from distribution to use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified more quickly, and as a result, problems potentially resolved more quickly.
Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.

This recall involves correcting certain devices and does not involve removing them from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it without correction.
Product Name |
Material Number |
UDI-DI |
| MAGNETOM Verio | 10276755 | N/A |
| MAGNETOM Skyra (DE) | 10432915 | 04056869006703 |
| Biograph mMR | 10433372 | 04056869006741 |
| MAGNETOM Verio Dot | 10684333 | 04056869006673 |
| MAGNETOM Prisma | 10849582 | 04056869006727 |
| MAGNETOM Skyra fit | 10849580 | 04056869006710 |
| MAGNETOM Verio Dot Upgr. | 10684334 | 04056869006680 |
| MAGNETOM Vida (DE) | 11060815 | 04056869039176 |
| MAGNETOM Skyra (CN) | 11410327 | 04056869227139 |
| MAGNETOM Lumina (DE) | 11344916 | 04056869230740 |
| MAGNETOM Vida Fit | 11410481 | 04056869245188 |
| MAGNETOM Vida (CN) | 11516152 | 04056869260143 |
| MAGNETOM Lumina (CN) | 11516153 | 04056869260136 |
| MAGNETOM Skyra Fit BioMatrix | 11516217 | 04056869299273 |
| MAGNETOM Cima.X Upgr. (DE) | 11689304 | 04056869975245 |
| MAGNETOM Cima.X (DE) | 11647158 | 04056869975221 |
| MAGNETOM Connectom.X | 11371480 | N/A |
| BIOGRAPH One (DE) | 11689172 | 04068151020472 |
| MAGNETOM Cima.X Fit | 11647159 | 04056869975238 |
| MAGNETOM Cima.X (CN) | 11689616 | 04056869996509 |
If the error message “Magnet Supervision: The average heater power is above the alarm threshold. Please contact Siemens Healthineers Service” appears on your host computer, no further scans can be performed. Follow additional safety actions immediately.
On August 27, 2025, Siemens Healthineers sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Correction letter recommending the following actions:
Siemens Healthineers is correcting 3 Tesla Siemens Healthineers MRI systems due to the potential for an ice blockage to form or currently exist within the magnet venting system. In the event of a sudden loss of superconductivity, or magnet quench, helium gas may be unable to escape through designated venting paths, leading to pressure build-up within the helium containment system. This pressure build up could rupture the helium containment system, potentially resulting in a massive helium leak into the scanning room. Rupture of the helium containment system may also manifest as an explosion, with overpressure in the MRI room and debris expelled forcefully.
The use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including cold burns, asphyxiation, trauma, and death.
As of August 29, Siemens Healthineers has not reported any serious injuries or deaths related to this issue.
Affected 3 Tesla Siemens Healthineers MRI systems include magnetic resonance diagnostic devices (MRDD) and mMR systems, which combine MRDD and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). These devices display the internal structure and/or function of the head, body, or extremities, and may be utilized by appropriately trained health care professionals to aid in the detection, localization, and diagnosis of diseases and disorders.
Customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall should contact the Siemens Healthineers service organization at 1-800-888-7436.
The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from manufacturing through distribution to patient use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified, and problems potentially corrected more quickly.
Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.

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