While Labour’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves claims the former government let the economy run out of control, our Bath MP, Wera Hobhouse is also blaming the previous administration for leaving our rail infrastructure in tatters.
Mrs Hobhouse, who is also Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Transport, called on the government to restore Britain’s railways.
Discussing the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill yesterday, Wera Hobhouse slammed the former Conservative government for leaving Britain’s railways in a “shambolic” state, as passengers often face paying higher fares for less reliable services, enduring many cancellations and delays.
The Bath MP spoke up for constituents who said they had been forced to travel by road because of the expense of train fares, despite preferring the greener alternative provided by rail. She insisted that meeting the UK’s essential Net Zero targets depended on fixing the rail network and ensuring it functions as a more affordable, reliable and green option for passengers.
Mrs Hobhouse also raised some concerns with the funding for Labour’s plans to nationalise the rail network, warning the government to ensure that nationalisation does not come at the expense of funding other public services. She argued that rail nationalisation itself would not bring down fares for passengers or improve customer service. Instead, the Bath MP proposed that the Liberal Democrats would freeze rail fares immediately while reforming the broken fare system at the same time.
She added:
“Britain’s rail infrastructure has been decimated by the former Conservative government, who drove it to a shambolic standard. Passengers should not have to keep paying more for less. We deserve a world-class rail network to be proud of.
“Above all else, we Liberal Democrats want to ensure that passengers get the fairest deal possible. That’s why we will work constructively with the new government to restore public confidence in the rail network and ensure people are able to get from A to B affordably, reliably and sustainably.”
