Wednesday briefing: The conference that shows the Tories may be resigned to losing the election

In today's newsletter: From dithering on HS2 to playing the culture war hits, the Conservative conference is all out of ideas

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Good morning. Today in Manchester, Rishi Sunak is expected to stand in front of a lectern reading LONG-TERM DECISIONS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE" and announce the scrapping of the HS2 rail link to that very city - and with it a key plank of his promise to level up the north.

The Conservative party conference - which closes today and is likely the last before a general election in 2024 - has been completely dominated by the prime minister's repeated refusal to confirm whether or not the 100bn high speed line will continue as planned.

US | Kevin McCarthy has been abruptly removed from his role as House speaker, ousted by hard-right members of his own Republican party less than a year after his election. It is the first time in US history the speaker has been dismissed, and came after he led a bipartisan effort that avoided a government shutdown.

Italy | At least 21 people died and 18 were injured when a tourist coach crashed off an overpass near Venice, falling 30 metres on to power lines and catching fire. Those on board included Ukrainians, German and French citizens, said Venice prefect Michele Di Bari, adding the bus was totally crushed".

Transport | Two planned strikes by London Underground workers this week have been called off, the RMT union announced. Its members had been due to strike on Wednesday and Friday, closing the tube over plans to reduce staff numbers by up to 600 posts to save costs.

Health | Trans hospital patients in England will be banned from being treated in female- and male-only wards, under plans announced by the health secretary. Steve Barclay also said patient requests to have intimate care provided by someone of the same biological sex would be respected.

Diplomacy | India has told Canada it must remove 41 diplomats from its embassy in Delhi as the diplomatic spat continues between the two countries. The Indian foreign ministry has given Canada a week to repatriate two-thirds of its diplomats stationed in India, reducing the number to 21.