London Mayor Sadiq Khan falls apart and hands over significant control of the capital’s transport to the government after a £ 1.6bn bailout – The Sun

London Mayor Sadiq Khan collapsed yesterday after handing over significant control of the capital’s transport system to the government in exchange for a £ 1.6 billion bailout.

Khan had threatened to withdraw bus, subway and rail services since Monday to help ease his black hole in the budget if the government did not provide the cash.

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But he was forced to accept an agreement that carries important conditions, according to government sources.

The Labor mayor will have to get the Tubes back to 100% capacity as soon as possible and use the Permanence Alert # 10 campaigns online.

Staff illness rates should be reported directly to the Government, which will also carry out a comprehensive review of London transport and structure.

Khan had been accused by MPs No10 and Tory of “playing politics” during the Covid crisis to try to increase the amount of money turned over to the network.

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A senior government source said, “We were always prepared to consider investing more money in keeping London’s underground and bus services running and helping the traveling public stay safe from the coronavirus.

“But we were not prepared to accept ridiculous demands from a wasteful mayor and this money comes with many conditions.”

As a result, ticket prices are expected to rise at the rate of inflation plus one percent, according to those close to the deal.

Khan had threatened yesterday to stop the capital less than a week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the nation to slowly return to work.

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There have been fears about commuters being forced to crowd the reduced public transport.

The signs now tell them that if their trip is not essential, they should go home.

London has the lowest R infection rate in the nation at just 0.4, but the mayor’s cuts could have pushed it up again.

Khan said TfL was losing £ 600 million a month keeping the network running on its reduced service. Its revenue fell 90 percent due to loss of fees, advertising revenue, and payments for congestion charges.

He said: “We have been involved in weeks and weeks of negotiations with the government and it is very difficult to obtain their support.”

But Tory’s former transport minister Theresa Villiers told The Sun that her negotiating strategy had been similar to “blackmail.”

She said: “The government has come to the rescue of the mayor. But it is vital that the mayor now restore a full level of service.

“You must also control the TfL budget. Had he not managed TfL’s finances disastrously, London would have been better prepared for this pandemic shock.

“He couldn’t fix the roof while the sun was shining.”

MP Tory Andrew Rosindell added: “Every time he opens his mouth, he plays politics and I don’t get the impression that he’s really concerned about service delivery.”

A source close to the mayor replied: “He hardly plays politics when the simple fact is that TfL has lost 90 percent of its income it needs to operate.”

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps stressed yesterday that people had a “civic duty” to avoid public transportation if possible during the crisis.

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