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London Mayor ‘Profligate’ Sadiq Khan was hit by passengers who got stuck in the crowded Tube again today after he agreed to increase services in exchange for a £ 1.6bn taxpayer-funded bailout.
Khan had said Transport for London was about to collapse and blamed Boris Johnson for no social distance on the trains by facilitating the shutdown this week.
Last night the ministers agreed to give the Labor mayor a grant of £ 1.1 trillion plus £ 505 million in loans with “conditions” to get London’s transport system back up and running, hours after Khan was accused of blackmail and repeatedly asking for £ 2 billion in return. to get services support up to 70 percent of pre-crisis levels on Monday.
A government source attacked Khan as a “wasteful” mayor who had let the money go to waste “after four years of a rate freeze. “ There are many conditions, ” added the source, including future increases in ticket prices and the reduction of free travel for those over 60.
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Sadiq Khan responded today by calling the £ 1.6bn deal a ‘cast’ and ‘the government has forced Londoners to pay a heavy price for doing the right thing’ in the closing with sources claiming they believe the cash it will run out again in 80 days.
He said: ‘We are executing as many services as humanly possible given the number of personnel who are ill, armored, or self-isolated. As staff returns to work, we increase services as quickly as possible to return 100%. As of Monday, our goal is to run about 85% of buses, 75% of tubes, restore the Circle line, and reopen some of the 37 closed stations. ‘
Millions have returned to work this week and the number of commuters on the London Underground has increased ten percent in one week, leading to “dangerous” conditions because services have operated at a capacity as low as 15 percent .
Traveler Michael Maggs tweeted a photo of a packed wagon at 6am this morning and said: ‘@SadiqKhan how we intended to socially distance yourself with your terrible service that you are performing. I had to wait 15 minutes to get into this. You’re putting lives at risk. ‘
The Catholic priest, Father Grant Ciccone, posted this photo from the Jubilee Line this morning as the first work week, as the closure decreased today.
Commuter Michael Maggs tweeted this photo of a full subway car at 6 a.m. and said, ‘@SadiqKhan how we intended to socially distance yourself with your terrible service that you are performing. I had to wait 15 minutes to get into this. You’re putting lives at risk. ‘
Traffic arriving in London on the A4 was also busy this morning as more and more people return to work if they can’t do it at home.
Apple Mobility data shows that travel has decreased in London since the blockade began, but is increasing progressively when services are not available.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said “no” would get on a busy train.
Lewis told LBC that “he would probably think about finding a bike and jumping on a Boris bike and biking around London.”
When asked if London Mayor Sadiq Khan blackmailed the government into giving more money to TfL, Lewis said: “Look, I think the London public can report their own views on the suitability of how acting the current mayor. “
“I would like to make sure I see a mayor who is focused on turning over the people of London.”
Insisting on whether there will be exemptions for the 14-day quarantine period for individuals, including business travelers, Lewis said: ‘There will be a 14-day quarantine. What we are looking at are exemptions that are appropriate and safe to ensure that it is practical and safe. ”
Fears have increased for subway and bus workers operating at significantly reduced capacity, as Boris Johnson encouraged people to return to work.
Government sources said the mayor had demanded £ 2 billion but was rejected “multiple times.” The parties have settled for a £ 1.1billion package plus £ 505m in loans “to be repaid”.
As part of the agreement, TfL will have to restore full services “as soon as possible”, although there is no fixed schedule, and the government will also approve advertising on TfL. “It will take” staying alert, “not” staying home, “” the source said.
TfL will have to report staff absences, which are currently said to be operating at 20 percent.
There will also be a central government review of finances and TfL rates will increase by RPI plus 1 percent, breaking the mayor’s previous promise to freeze rate increases, according to the source.
“We were always willing to invest money to keep London’s underground and bus services running and help the traveling public stay safe from the coronavirus, but we weren’t prepared to accept ridiculous demands from a wasteful mayor, and this money comes with many terms”. said the source.
Khan is seeking reelection in the postponed mayoral elections for next year, although he is the fugitive favorite who will become City Hall. Some of his opponents are likely to step up the rise in travel prices, but conservatives claim that his decision to freeze prices for four years fueled the current TfL cash crisis.
Khan has announced that he will increase London underground services to 70 percent from normal on Monday, but only after threatening to cut underground, train and bus services unless the government withdraws money.
He claimed that the TFL would go bankrupt unless the government provides cash to fill the £ 4 billion black hole coronavirus it has left in its finances due to an 80 percent drop in revenue from fees, advertising and the congestion charge.
But Shapps said the mayor would have to increase capacity to 100 percent again “very quickly as people start to travel more, it is very, very important that we do not have overcrowding.”
TfL was already losing millions every month before the coronavirus and is in billions in debt after Khan’s decision to freeze rates every year since he was elected in 2016. He has also been accused of being too soft on transport unions militant and have the worst average strike on record of any mayor.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan (pictured on Downing Street in March) launched an extraordinary attack on Boris Johnson and also warned that he will cut off tube, train and bus services unless the prime minister agrees on an emergency rescue by the end of today.
Signs like these have appeared in subway stations, but more and more people are following directions to work.
The Central Line was dangerously crowded with travelers who had no choice but to go to work in full carriages
Industry sources have claimed that TfL is losing £ 600 million a month during the crisis and wants £ 2 billion in taxpayer-funded support, despite employers having £ 1.2 billion in their cash reserves.
Mr Khan told LBC: ‘Unless the government confirms the grant we need today, the consequences could be quite severe and the implications for all of us will be enormous. The only way to balance books is to cut services. ‘
Former Conservative Minister Stephen Hammond, a Wimbledon MP, told MailOnline: ‘An extraordinary comment. You are threatening the health of Londoners by saying this kind of thing. We need London’s networks, underground and suburban network to return to full capacity. The mayor should focus on managing a service as large as possible so that people can travel socially at a distance and in the most responsible way possible. ”
There was also anger over Khan’s comments about LBC yesterday morning, with a listener saying: ‘You are trying to blackmail the government and yes, you are prepared to use the health and safety of London’s key workers as collateral for a rescue of their transport service ‘, while another critic tweeted:’ It is blackmail, just when people begin to return to work ‘.
Khan also suggested that the prime minister is to blame for congestion on the subway this week after breaking an agreement that people would return to work starting this coming Monday and bring it forward a week two hours in advance.
Mr. Khan told LBC: ‘Many of our employees are protecting themselves, isolating themselves, or being sick. We reached a stage where we developed a plan with the Department of Transportation and, starting Monday, May 18, we would increase metro services to 75% and increase it again in three weeks. And then on Sunday they presented us with a fait accompli. I was at a Cobra meeting two hours earlier where he [Boris Johnson] He told us this was his plan. ‘
The Mayor of London revealed that Tube passenger numbers rose 10% today last week, admitting that thousands more people were trying to get on the trains. When asked about the shocking images of narrow wagons this morning, he said: “It is deeply disturbing. The reality is that every time someone interacts with someone on the street, in a store or on a train, it can increase the spread. So we are urging people to stay home. ‘
He also said that employers should take responsibility for the lack of social distancing on public transport, refusing to accept that “fear” is a good reason not to return to work. Khan said: “Londoners are told to go back to work unless they have a good reason.” I can understand that when you have a zero hour contract or when your boss is telling you to go to work, you can enter. That is why I am imploring the government to put pressure on employers to start the day that they do not. I don’t want to undo the job. ‘
Data released by location technology firm TomTom showed that there was more traffic in major UK cities compared to the previous week.
The level of congestion in London at 8 a.m. was 19%, up from 16% last week.
Other cities to experience a surge include Belfast (12% to 15%), Birmingham (9% to 11%), Cardiff (8% to 11%), Edinburgh (12% to 15%), and Manchester (from 10% to 13%).
The figures represent the proportion of additional time required for travel compared to free-flow conditions.
The Cabinet Office today declined to comment on claims that they had dropped their transportation trend from the daily coronavirus press conference in recent weeks to hide the fact that many more people were getting in their cars or taking the public transport. A spokesperson told MailOnline that the slides are online every day, and that they are not always displayed because ministers and health chiefs may want to “focus on other things.”
Metro bosses put up signs at stations telling passengers to go home unless they were key workers despite Boris Johnson telling millions of Britons to go back to work, it was revealed today.
The transport for London’s premonitory ‘go home’ messages came amid a growing dispute with Downing Street, which insists that trains must return to normal to revive the economy, while the Mayor of London says that ‘The lock has not been lifted.’
