LONDON (Reuters) - The northern English town of Hartlepool will vote for a new member of parliament on Thursday, a test of Prime Minister Boris Johnson s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of the opposition Labour Party s new leader. Johnson s governing Conservative Party hopes to break Labour s decades-long hold over Hartlepool, a former industrial port town, to bolster a 2019 election victory in which he won votes from traditional opposition supporters. If the town does elect the Conservative candidate, farmer Jill Mortimer, it will also raise questions over the leadership of Keir Starmer, elected last year as a new face to lead Labour to electoral success after a disastrous showing in 2019. Governing parties in Britain rarely win new seats at so-called by-elections to the Westminster parliament, and a Conservative victory over Labour candidate Paul Williams would suggest that the often gaffe-prone Johnson was also managing to shrug off allegations of cronyism. Obviousl
Britain's construction sector is seeing the biggest increase in its workload in five years, led by strong demand for housing and the resumption of other projects as the coronavirus pandemic eases, a quarterly survey showed on Thursday.
Local road construction projects through Biwabik and Gilbert are set to resume May 10.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced the expected restart dates this week on Highway 37 and Highway 135, with detours and road closures awaiting travelers in the coming weeks.
In Biwabik, construction on Highway 135 at 6th Avenue is set to start on May 10 with no significant traffic impacts. But on May 17, major construction will start and Main Street will close to traffic, with a local detour on First Street North and a truck detour on County Roads 20 and 4.
Work on Highway 37 in Gilbert between Highway 53 and Alaska Avenue will also begin May 10, with temporary lane/shoulder closures and possible flagging operations.