Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, has been accused of putting party politics above the interests of London commuters, after a leaked letter showed he once opposed devolution of suburban rail routes in case it put them “in the clutches of a Labour mayor”.
The transport secretary this week blocked a request by Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, to hand control of the Southeastern commuter route to City Hall and Transport for London (TfL), saying there was no need for a massive reorganisation.
However, a letter leaked to the Evening Standard shows Grayling wrote to former London mayor Boris Johnson in 2013 opposing the idea of devolution for fear that a future Labour mayor would gain control of the transport links.
Some London MPs were furious about the letter, with Bob Neill, a Conservative former minister, saying Grayling should step down for prioritising party politics over the interests of his Bromley constituents.
“It’s pretty clear he has a dogmatic opposition to rail devolution and that’s not a legitimate basis to take a decision,” Neill told the Standard.
Theresa May’s spokesman said he had no comment on Neill’s view but that the prime minister had “absolute faith in the secretary of state and the work he is doing”.
Khan also expressed frustration at the fact Grayling blocked his request, despite Patrick McLoughlin, the former transport secretary, and Johnson striking a deal before the election to allow devolution when franchises come up for renewal.
“If I’m honest, I simply do not understand why the government is now so vehemently opposed to improving suburban rail services in London,” Khan said. “I sincerely hope it is not because they are reluctant to give control of these lines to a Labour mayor – commuters’ lives are far, far more important than party politics.”
Andy Burnham, the Labour MP, tweeted:
Hard to have confidence in the Transport Secretary's handling of devolution when he's been sending letters like this. pic.twitter.com/sRZ5zelNnF
— Andy Burnham (@andyburnhammp) December 7, 2016
And Tom Watson, the deputy Labour leader, said it was a “disgraceful revelation” given that Grayling’s decision will leave commuters worse off.
“Labour’s mayor of London put forward a plan which would see commuters enjoy a better service and frozen fares,” he said. “We now see the Tories have blocked this progress for their own narrow political interest. It’s shameful and demonstrates that for all their bluster about caring about working people they always put themselves first.
“It’s no wonder even Tory MPs are calling for Chris Grayling to resign: he’s in serious hot water.”
The Department for Transport had no comment on the leaked letter, but it pointed to Grayling’s remarks in the Commons on Tuesday setting out his reasons for refusing Khan’s bid for TfL to take over.
Neill had said his constituents would regard Grayling’s “failure to remove the London metro services from the wholly discredited Southeastern franchise as a complete copout and failure, and as making no sense at all”.
The transport secretary replied: “We will have the opportunity, between London, my department and Kent to design an improved franchise for the future.
“What I had to decide was whether the benefits set out in the mayor’s business plan, which did not involve increases in capacity on my honourable friend’s local routes into London, and the incremental improvements that Transport for London claimed it might be able to deliver were really worth putting his railway line through the biggest restructuring since the 1920s.
“My judgment is that we can achieve the benefits that TfL is arguing for through partnership, rather than through massive reorganisation, and that is my aim.”
It is understood ministers were concerned about the mayor of London being given control over services partly for people who could not vote for him, as the rail links run outside of the capital.
As part of the decision, Grayling offered to let both TfL and Kent county council work on the design of the new franchise.
The decision is only about the south-east franchise run by Southeastern Trains, so there may be opportunities for Khan to bid again in relation to other parts of London.