Commuters stopped from forming new party to unseat the Transport Secretary after calling it ‘Chris Grayling is a moron’
FURIOUS commuters have been blocked from forming a new party to unseat the Transport Secretary – after calling it “Chris Grayling is a moron”.
The Electoral Commission said the wording chosen by rail passengers in Epsom and Ewell in Surrey “could be considered offensive”.
The revelation from the website came as Mr Grayling was told to QUIT by furious MPs after a devastating report into the timetabling chaos earlier this year.
The rail watchdog blamed “systemic failings” for the mass cancellations on Govia and Northern Rail.
And it said Mr Grayling signed off a key change to services, which was one of the principle factors behind the ultimate failure of the timetables.
In a humiliating media round the Tory big hitter said it was time for a fundamental review.
And in a separate video on social media he said “sorry” twice for the “complete chaos” on Govia and Northern Rail.
But he refused to accept any blame – other than making a mistake in taking assurances from the industry about new timetables “at face value”.
It came after a devastating report by Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald said: “The whistle has blown. It’s time for Grayling to go.
“Under his leadership, fares have soared above wages as passengers suffer increasingly unreliable and overcrowded services.”
Labour backbencher Lisa Nandy said: “The report is damning.
“Chris Grayling personally signed off plans that contributed to the collapse of rail services. The Department for Transport was complicit.
“And still, not a single rail executive or minister has accepted responsibility and resigned.”
CAR NEED IS ON RISE
ANGER at public transport is fuelling a rise in car dependency, an annual RAC poll says.
A third of drivers, a record high, say they are more reliant on their cars than a year earlier.
A little over a quarter said the same in 2017.
One in four blamed a deterioration in bus and train services.
Six in ten said they would drive less if the networks improved.
RAC chief engineer David Bizley said many people do not see public transport as a “viable alternative” to the car.
He called for more investment to make it “reliable, frequent, comfortable and affordable”.
Bus and rail passenger trips both dropped last year, Department for Transport figures show.
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